His Angel, Her Hero
by PitaCake
Summary: An old enemy resurfaces. What happens when he discovers both of his targets work together in the FBI?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or the characters. Some "guest stars" are based on or named after people in my life while others are totally made up, as are some places and events.**

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Chapter 1

 **1986**

"Penny, go pick out a candy bar if you want one," a woman in the long line told her little girl.

Derek Morgan was ten years old and didn't like girls very much. He thought they were loud and silly and boring. The ones in his class were, anyway. He was also sandwiched between two sisters and they drove him nuts. He also had an aunt and a girl cousin that he spent a lot of time with. The only man in his life was his father, who was a Chicago police officer. He loved and respected his father very much. From as far back as he could remember, all he ever wanted to be when he grew up was a police officer, just like his dad. He chuckled, thinking of the joke his father told him that afternoon before he went off to his shift.

Derek felt a presence standing next to him in the candy aisle. He glanced over and forgot all his manners as he couldn't help but stare. The little girl was very pretty. A head shorter than he, she had long blonde braided pigtails and glasses. She wore a bright purple peacoat and a rainbow colored hat with a matching scarf and gloves. She wore silver sparkly snow boots and green tights. Even her name, Penny, was beautiful to him. Derek had never seen her before and hoped she was new to the block because they would probably go to the same school and ride the same bus, even if she was in a different grade. He really wanted to get to know this mysterious girl.

Derek watched as Penny wrinkled her nose as she studied the candy selection before deciding on a Kit Kat bar. She grabbed one and it got stuck in the box. She gave it a tug and the whole box spilled on the floor. Derek's manners finally kicked in and he didn't think as he bent down and helped her pick the candy bars up. She looked over to him and gasped a little before looking down again to pick up the rest of the candy bars. He took the box of candy from her and replaced it on the shelf.

"Thank you," Penny said. Her voice sounded like tinkling bells and Derek was speechless. She smiled at Derek and ran up to her mom. She realized she forgot her candy bar and ran back to Derek, who held out a Kit Kat. She reached for the candy bar. "Thank you again, my hero," she giggled.

Derek opened his mouth to say he wasn't a hero but froze when he heard a loud, booming voice yell, "Get down on the ground! This is a holdup!" from the front of the store. Derek dropped the candy bar, grabbed Penny's hand, and pulled her with him to the back of the store. He pushed her into the far corner next to the drink cooler and stood in front of her as a masked man in a thick winter coat walked over.

"Whatcha hiding there behind you, little man?" the robber sneered.

"Leave her alone," Derek said. He winced and fell as the robber backhanded him. Penny cried out as Derek fell down. She dropped to her knees to see if he was all right and felt herself being pulled by the arm to her feet. She screamed in terror as the masked man lifted her in his arms.

"She's a pretty one, all right," he said. Penny screamed again and flailed her arms, as she did she knocked the mask off his face. He didn't realize it and he laughed as she continued to struggle. "And she's fiesty, too! I like that!"

Derek growled and grabbed the rubber's arm, stomped on his foot, and kicked him in the groin. The robber dropped Penny, who whimpered as fell hard on her side. He smacked Derek and laughed he fell again. Derek gulped as the robber drew a knife from his waistband. Derek scrambled over and put himself in front of Penny again. He stared at the ugly, pock-marked face of the robber. He didn't recognize him from the neighborhood.

The robber advanced on them, then gasped as a much larger man grabbed the back of his coat and flung him away from the children. He crashed into cardboard display of potato chips and the knife skidded across the floor and underneath a shelf.

Everything happened so fast. Before Derek could do more than cry out, "Dad!", the robber pulled a gun from his pocket and fired blindly. Derek covered Penny with his body as a bullet whizzed near his head.

The larger man gasped as he fell down. Derek ran over and began to shake him, screaming, "Dad!, Dad!" and crying as the robber ran away.

Penny got to her feet and walked over to Derek and his father. Her eyes widened when she saw the police uniform and the stain of blood on his chest. She knelt down and put her head on Derek's shoulder. She sat there for what seemed like forever, until a lady police officer touched her and Derek's shoulders. She looked up to see her parents standing behind them. She stood and Derek looked up at her with tear-stained cheeks. "I'm so sorry about your dad," she whispered and leaned down and kissed his cheek. Derek watched as she walked away with her parents until the lady officer guided him away from his father's body.

The rest of the evening was a blur as he watched numbly as his mother and sisters sobbed uncontrollably. The days blended together and he stayed with his Aunt Yvonne and cousin Cindi until the funeral. He sat stoicly next to his mother as fellow officers and friends and neighbors paid their respects. The night after the funeral was the first time he really slept and he dreamed about the little blonde girl at the store. She had appeared and disappeared so fast in the dream that he thought she was an angel. He woke up and wondered if the girl was real or an angel like in his dream.

Penny cried into her pillow. She and her parents had arrived back home in California that day and she had barely spoken throughout the entire drive home from Chicago. She kept thinking of the boy at the store. He was cute and nice. Most of the boys she knew laughed at her glasses and thought she was weird because she liked to read books and liked computers but that boy looked at her like she never saw a girl before in his life. He was so sweet. He didn't laugh at her clumsiness or anything. And he saved her from the robber. She felt so bad when she learned the man who was shot was his father. A boy as kind as he didn't deserve that kind of heartache so young. "I don't even know his name!" she cried into her pillow. He was the kind of hero that you only read about in books. At age eight, Penelope Garcia knew she'd never forget about the boy in the store. _Her_ hero. She had no idea that that little boy had set the bar for all the future men in her life.

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 **A/N: Wait, what is this? A new story! The first chapter is based on a dream I had last night. The rest of the story will flow from that dream. I hope y'all enjoy this. Please review!**

 **Xoxo,**

 **PitaCake**

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	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or the characters. Some "guest stars" are based on or named after people in my life while others are totally made up, as are some places and events.**

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Chapter 2

 **2004**

"She did all of this?" Morgan asked as he glanced up from the thick file to look through the one-way glass at the brunette handcuffed to the table in the interrogation room. "She's the Black Queen, one of the best hackers in the world?"

"Yes. Her name is Penelope Garcia. I just got permission from the director to offer her a position as our Technical Analyst," Aaron Hotchner answered.

"Are you serious?" Morgan looked at the Unit Chief like he had sprouted horns. He looked through Ms. Garcia's purse and removed the laptop and phone. She had some paper and pens, a pair of glasses in a case, saline solution and contact lens case, some makeup, a toothbrush, hairbrush, and several Super-8 film reels. The film reels took him by surprise. Underground hackers were known for their ability to move around quickly and silently. The fact that Ms. Garcia thought these films were important enough to carry around with her everywhere intrigued him. Since she had no means of projecting or using the reels, he decided to leave them in the bag. If anything, he'd have to take them out later, if she decided to not accept Hotch's offer.

"She's a good person. She's never hacked to hurt anyone and her record is clean. She doesn't deserve prison," Hotch said as he left to go speak to the prisoner.

Derek smiled as Ms. Garcia's expression changed from nervous to defiant to shock as Hotch threw out his proposal. Derek brought in her bag after she asked for the stationary. He watched as her eyes softened as she saw the films still in the purse before pulling out the pink paper and a pen. The look was of relief but also sadness.

He sighed inwardly when Ms. Garcia accepted Hotch's offer. He gave her a month before she would request a transfer. Most technical analysts couldn't handle the gory nature of working with the BAU, not to mention the incredibly long hours and heavy caseloads. The profilers often ended up doing a lot of the computer work themselves since they always seemed to be in between techs.

Derek was used to women hitting on him but Ms. Garcia's words as he uncuffed her made him nervous. He stared down the sickest monsters and could get into their heads but he could not read her. Her demeanor was a paradox. He had no idea who Penelope Garcia really was.

That night as he slept he dreamed about Penny. He hadn't dreamt of her in years. There were many nights as he was growing up that he prayed she'd visit him in his dreams. It was she who scolded him to stop being a delinquent. It was she who he thought of when Buford was hurting him. She never judged him or pitied him. All he wanted was to be the hero she said he was. She visited his dreams in the good times and bad. The last time was when he got into the BAU. She told him she was proud of him and that he really was a hero.

* * *

It had been two weeks since the BAU arrested Sam Russell in San Jose. Derek had forgotten about Ms. Garcia. He had gone home to Chicago for a week and when he came back Hotch and Gideon had hired a new guy for the unit. He saw the young man sitting at the desk that was diagonal to his, reading a book.

"Hi, I'm Derek Morgan," Derek said as he set his bag down.

The new guy looked up and rose. "Oh, hello. I'm Spencer Reid." Reid looked nervous as he stared at Derek.

"Welcome to the team, Reid." Derek said as walked up the stairs to Hotch's office. He knocked and entered at Hotch's invitation.

"I just met the new guy," Derek said as he sat down.

"And?" Hotch said.

"He's really young."

"Yes, he is. But he is brilliant and with Gideon gone we need help. Between him and the new tech I think we'll be fine." Hotch rattled off Reid's qualifications.

"We have a case. Have everyone meet in the conference room in ten," Hotch dismissed Derek.

The case was in Roanoke and after several days of dead ends the team was frustrated. Derek, Reid, and Hotch were brainstorming in the bullpen when Derek saw their new tech with a armful of files. He turned to Reid. "Hey, what's that new tech girl's name?" he asked.

"Uhh... Gomez, I think," Reid replied.

"Excuse me, Gomez!" Derek called out. He realized that wasn't her name when she didn't acknowledge him. "Hey, Baby Girl!" he called as she was getting ready to leave the bullpen. He cursed at the momentary loss off his filter as the tech turned around and gave him an odd look before acknowledging him. "'Baby Girl?'" she repeated.

"Uh," Derek tripped over his words a bit, "Forgive me, I just didn't know the real..."

"Don't worry, I've been called worse," she smiled as she walked towards him. For a moment Derek didn't recognize Penelope. Her hair was shorter, blonde, and in an updo. She wore black still but it was a simple office suit with lime green accessories and glasses. She looked nothing like the woman he met in San Jose, and not just in her physical appearance, either. She looked... happy. And free. "What can I do for you?" she asked as she walked closer.

"Can you take the list of forestry employees and run it against the list of witnesses interviewed by Roanoke police?" Derek asked.

"Of course I can," Penelope replied brightly. She stuck out her hand. "I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Penelope Garcia."

Derek took her hand in his. Her handshake was firm, professional, and respectful. "I'm Derek Morgan," Derek smiled. He felt a pang of loss when she released her hand from his.

"I'll get right on that list," Penelope said as she scurried away.

Morgan barely listened to Hotch and Reid. He found himself thinking about the new tech, Garcia. What she said struck a cord within him. His entire life he was taught to treat women with the upmost respect. All women. He didn't like the possibility that someone had insulted or harassed her. He felt an overwhelming desire to protect her and he had no idea why.

He was jarred from his daydream by his phone ringing. He frowned at the unknown number. "Morgan," Derek answered briskly.

"Agent Morgan, it's Garcia. I have the information you requested," the female voice said.

Derek looked at his watch. "Gom... I mean, Garcia, I asked for the information five minutes ago."

"I know, I know, and I'm sorry," she said apologetically. "I had to drop half those files off at Chief Strauss's office and then the other half at Agent Jareau's before I could get the information for you and I'm still getting used to this system..."

"No, no, no... Garcia, you misunderstood. I saw the pile of files you had. I meant was that I couldn't believe how fast that was. To be honest I wasn't expecting to hear back for a half hour or so. You must be good." Derek grinned.

Penelope giggled. The sound was like tinkling bells and it was like a punch in the gut. "Oh, Hot Stuff. You have _no_ idea how good I am."

Morgan's jaw dropped. Out of all the things he expected her to say, he most definitely wasn't expecting _that._ He laughed and recovered his wits. "All right, Baby Girl. I'm going to put you on speakerphone so Hotch and Reid can hear."

"Garcia, you have some names for us?" Hotch asked.

"Oh, no, sir," Garcia sounded nervous. "Based on the perimeters you gave me, only _one_ name matched." She paused. "His name is Brian Matloff."

"Great job, Garcia," Hotch said.

"Wait, sir!" Garcia said. "Don't you want his address?"

"His address?" Hotch repeated, confused.

"Yeah. I have his employment record from the forestry service right here in front of me."

"I have a pen. What's his address?" Derek said.

"Hang on..."

Hotch, Derek, and Reid's phones went off almost simultaneously. Hotch and Reid looked at their phones.

"I just sent the file to your phones, complete with home address, recent photo, and work schedule."

"Garcia," Hotch said.

"I'm sorry, sir. Did I do something wrong?" Penelope sounded close to tears.

"No, no. Excellent work, thank you," Hotch reassured her.

"Oh," she laughed breathlessly. "No problem. I'm here if you need me. Bye," she rushed out and hung up the phone.

"Wow, she's efficient," Reid said as he looked at the file on his phone.

"Let's go talk to the Brian Matloff," Hotch ordered.

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 **A/N: Thanks for reading, favorite-ing, and following. Please review.**

 **Xoxo,**

 **PitaCake**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or the characters. Some "guest stars" are based on or named after people in my life while others are totally made up, as are some places and events.**

 **Heads up: Sweary.**

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Chapter 3

 **2004** **(cont.)**

Derek threw down his pencil in disgust. He was pissed at everything, mostly himself for being so slow. His side and knee still throbbed from the hard landing after he had jumped to the other building. He almost had him. He had literally touched Matloff's fingers when he lost his grip on the ledge and fell. The fact that the man survived the fall was hard to believe. Derek picked up the now-completed reports on his desk and brought them to Hotch's office. For once it was dark and empty.

As Derek left the office he bumped into Garcia, who clutched a file in her hands. "What are you doing here so late?" he asked as he waited for her as she dropped the file on Hotch's desk next to his.

"Trying not to gouge out my own eyes at the ancient system you have me working with," she said as she rolled her eyes.

"Come again?" Derek asked as he closed the door behind them.

"The computers themselves are slow, the operating system is weak and buggy, and I've already boosted the firewalls and filters because you guys are just asking to be hacked," she elaborated. "I just put in a request to gut it all and rebuild it myself. I hope they let me but I doubt they trust me yet," she looked down at her feet.

"Do you want to grab a bite or something?" Derek asked.

Penelope froze. "I don't think so," she replied softly.

"Can I ask why?" Derek frowned.

"I read the rules. Fraternization between employees is forbidden," she said.

"Oh, that!" he laughed. "The team hangs out together all the time. We go to bars, eat out. Hotch brings his wife quite a bit. Whenever we have something going on we try to be there for each other. We're more like a family. It's quiet now since Gideon took sabbatical and two other agents transferred. Come on, I know a great diner that's open all the time."

"Well, OK." She smiled as she waited for him to get his bag. He walked next to her as she got her own things from her office.

"Where did you park?" he asked as they rode the elevator to the garage.

"I don't have a car," she said sadly.

"Geez, I'm sorry!" Derek apologized. "I forgot you're new to Quantico."

"Don't apologize," she said. "I actually _do_ have a car but I have no idea where it is."

"I don't understand," he said as he guided her to his own vehicle, an SUV.

"The FBI has been so great. They helped me find an apartment and gave me an advance to get some furnishings. They were supposed to get someone to bring my car from California but I can't get a straight answer from anyone. That's all I had there. That and my purse was all wanted to bring with me into this new life."

They pulled into the diner and he held the door open for her, just like the car door. She wasn't used to the gentleman treatment from men.

When they sat across the booth from each other. She ordered a caesar salad and a chocolate milkshake. He ordered a double cheeseburger with everything with a side of fries and a chocolate shake.

"Tell me about yourself," Derek asked after they got their shakes.

Penelope shrugged and stared at the glass. "I'm a computer hacker who committed a felony who suddenly found herself working for the federal government."

Derek grabbed her hand. "I know all that. What don't I know?"

"I have no family. My parents are dead and I have four older brothers who hate me. I went to Caltech briefly before dropping out. I live in a city that I know no one. I'm a vegetarian."

"Hasn't anyone in the Bureau invited you out?" he asked incredulously.

"No, I might as well have, 'Felon' tattooed on my forehead. Nobody looks me in the eye or speaks to me." Penelope looked depressed.

"I'm sorry about that," Derek apologized.

"Don't apologize for the actions of others. Tech geeks like me will never win popularity contests. Add a tech geek with a record and I'm a pariah. Why don't you tell me about yourself?"

"I'm from Chicago. I got a football scholarship to Northwestern but I hurt my knee. Luckily I was able to keep my full ride and went to law school. I ended up joining Chicago PD. I eventually went with the bomb squad before being recruited by the FBI, then the BAU."

"Do you have a family?"

"I have my mom and one older and one younger sister. They still live in Chicago. My dad died when I was ten. Have you ever been to Chicago?"

"Once, when I was little. It was the only time I ever saw snow." Penelope looked sad again but was saved when their food arrived. In the time it took Penelope to eat her salad, Derek had polished off his burger and fries.

Derek insisted on paying and wouldn't hear any arguments. He was the perfect gentleman.

She gave him directions to her building.

"I can get myself in, thank you," she said when they pulled up. He surveyed the courtyard with distrust.

"Would you like a ride in tomorrow?" he asked.

"I don't want to put you out of your way," she protested.

"Don't worry about it," he replied.

"Thanks, that would be great." She said as she stepped out of the SUV.

"Text me when you get to your apartment," he ordered.

"Aww, you actually care," she teased as she closed the SUV's door.

"Yeah, I do," he whispered as he watched her enter the building. He waited at the curb for her to text him. He smiled when his phone went off:

 *** Made it in. Thanks for the ride.- P ***

He texted back:

 *** Good night, my Lady ***

He went to put the SUV in gear but stopped when he got another text. He grinned when he read her reply:

 *** Sweet dreams, Sugar. ***

That night he dreamt of Penny again. He hasn't dreamt about his father's death in years but in his dream be relived the entire thing. The only thing that changed was at the end, when Penny kissed his cheek. When he looked up at her, she wasn't the little girl he remembered. She was replaced by Penelope Garcia.

Derek woke up covered in sweat. Was it possible? Could Penelope Garcia, the goth computer hacker, be the Penny from his childhood? Is that why he felt so drawn to her and why he wanted to protect her? She said she went to Chicago as a child. He remembered that it snowed the day his father was killed.

The next morning he picked Penelope up and surprised her with a coffee. He stared as she inhaled the rich aroma and her eyes rolled back into her head.

She caught him staring. "What?" she asked.

"You're really... passionate," he said as he looked into her eyes. They were the same eyes he dreamed about since he was ten years old.

"I haven't bought a coffee maker yet and the office coffee isn't the best," she explained.

They were quiet on the ride to work, lost in their own thoughts. Like the night before, he held doors for her. He even walked her to her office.

He walked passed the bullpen and went straight to Hotch's office. By the time he got there he knew in his heart his Penny was real and she was working with him in the same FBI unit.

"Hotch, I took the new tech, Garcia, to dinner last night." Derek announced after he knocked and sat down.

"OK... " Hotch looked confused at this information.

"She's brand new to town. She knows nobody and people here aren't helping."

"Are they being hostile to her?" Hotch asked. He never even considered how her past would look to the other agents when he offered her the job.

"No, just unfriendly. She is overwhelmed."

"I gathered that from this proposal she submitted last night."

"What does she want?"

"To be honest, I don't understand most of it. She wants to overhaul the current system. She wrote out, step-by-step, what all she wants to do. She offered to have another tech watch her do it." Hotch answered.

"She doesn't think we trust her." Derek said.

"I don't."

"You hired her, Hotch. I know you. You care about your subordinates. Why should you treat her less than the rest of us? You said so yourself that she's a good person. I agree. If you want her to be happy, let her do this. And maybe ask her to meet us at the bar tomorrow and bring Haley. Garcia needs to meet people. The more people get to know her, they'll see she's a sweet lady."

"All right, Morgan. I'm going to trust you two on this."

"Something else. She was told her car was supposed to be brought here and it's not here yet. No one can give her any answers. She didn't bring anything else with her besides that handbag."

"I'll take care of it."

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 **A/N: I know I say this a lot but I really do have the best and sweetest readers ever. You guys rock.**

 **Much love always,**

 **PitaCake**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or the characters. Some "guest stars" are based on or named after people in my life while others are totally made up, as are some places and events**

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Chapter 4

 _"A soul mate usually only comes once in your life to shake things up, show you true love, and stand up to you in ways no one else ever has. They adore you yet challenge you to your fullest potential. A soul mate relationship isn't only peaches and cream, it is roses with thorns."_ \- Unknown

 **2016**

Derek swore as his phone went off the second the elevator doors closed. He looked at the text and groaned dramatically.

"Is the Bossman harassing you before you even get to the office, Sugar Shack?" Penelope grinned.

"Yeah. He wants to see me as soon as I get in."

"He didn't text me so we don't have any cases," Penelope frowned as she instinctively looked at her phone.

"My queen," Derek bowed as he opened one of the glass doors that led to the BAU.

"My hero," Penelope nodded as she swept through the door.

"I am nobody's hero," Derek said as they walked through the bullpen and climbed the stairs to the offices.

Derek's heart pounded every time she said that he was her hero. It still pained him that she didn't remember that night when they were children. Granted, she was younger than he and it wasn't uncommon for kids to block out painful memories. As much as he knew about her and her childhood, he wasn't surprised she didn't remember the traumatizing event. He was just happy that she was real and he could see and talk to her every day. He had wanted more but he always thought he wasn't good enough for her. She was too pure and sweet to be involved with someone as messed up and damaged as he. That didn't stop him from hating Kevin and Sam by proxy but was grateful they made her happy.

"Of course you are, my love! Who else can I call when Ester decides to misbehave, who then calls a tow truck to send the car to a trusted mechanic friend? Who else offered to pick me up for work _and_ had my favorite coffee all ready and waiting? You are _my_ hero, and no amount of protesting will ever change my mind!" Penelope linked her arm through his.

"All right, Hardhead," Derek grinned as they reached her office. "If we get a case I'll give you my keys so you can take my car home until Ester gets fixed." He leaned over and kissed the top of her head, taking a second to breathe in the strawberry scent her shampoo left. He wondered why she didn't call Sam to help her out with her car troubles.

"Sounds good. I'll see you later, Gorgeous," she giggled and winked as she opened the door.

"Hey, hey! You, behave!" Derek pretend-scolded.

"Never!" she called over her shoulder as the door closed behind her.

* * *

"Hey, Hotch, what's up?" Derek greeted his Unit Chief after first knocking on the open door.

"Morgan, close the door." Hotch looked up from his pile of paperwork and gazed sternly at his subordinate.

"What's going on?" Derek asked as he sat down on one of the chairs.

"I got a call last night from Stan Gordinski..." Hotch began.

"Aw, hell, Hotch. Don't tell me he called you personally wanting a favor or something!" Derek looked up to the ceiling as if praying for patience.

"He didn't know how to approach you so he called me first. I told him I'd tell you..."

"Tell me what, Hotch?"

"Anthony Montgomery escaped from prison."

"Are you serious?" Derek sat up straight in the chair.

"I'm afraid so," Hotch replied gravely.

"Dammit." Derek began to pace the office.

"Gordinski has dispatched protection for your mom and sisters."

"Good. Although he never threatened or even mentioned them, I'm glad they're protected. It was only me he threatened, since it was my testimony that ultimately got him put away for life."

"He also is believed to have killed his original defense attorney. The attorney was shot and stabbed and his home office was ransacked. He stole cash from a safe. Nothing else was stolen as far as his family could tell," Hotch explained.

"Wait. When did he escape?" Derek stopped pacing and stared at Hotch.

"Two weeks ago," Hotch replied.

"Two w...? That monster escaped _two weeks ago_ and that bastard Gordinski didn't let us know until _now_?" Derek yelled.

"He didn't know. That's why he called me so late last night. As soon as he was informed he got the protection set up for your family and then called me. He's pretty upset that he wasn't told until after the lawyer was killed," Hotch explained.

Derek sat back down in the chair and put his head in his hands.

"They'll find him, Morgan," Hotch said.

Derek looked up and stated at Hotch. "Have you ever read the police reports or from my father's murder or the trial transcripts?"

"No, I haven't." Hotch shook his head.

"It wasn't just me that Anthony Montgomery threatened. There was a little girl in the store. She and I were the only witnesses to see his face. He blamed her for him getting caught and convicted since she made him lose his mask. Because of her doing that I was able to I.D. him." Morgan looked down at the floor as he said it.

"Did she testify?" Hotch asked.

"Not directly, no. With my testimony and her and her parents' witness accounts at the scene, and the testimonies from the other witnesses, they had more than enough evidence to put Montgomery away forever."

"Do you know the girl's name? I can have Garcia run it and try and find her." Hotch pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"No, Hotch, wait!" Derek stood up suddenly.

"What?" Hotch's eyes narrowed as he detected the desperation in Derek's voice.

"I know who the girl is, but she doesn't know me," Derek said slowly.

"I don't follow," Hotch replied.

"Before my father died, I was in the store. A little girl stood next to me in the candy aisle. I thought she was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. When Montgomery and his partner came in to rib the store, I tried to hide the girl, but Montgomery hit me and tried to take her. I fought him and he came after us with a knife. That's when my father came in and tackled him. Montgomery then shot him. I can remember every minute of it. That little girl held me and comforted me until the police came and her parents took her away. I never saw her again. To be honest I wasn't even sure she was real. She was there one minute and totally gone the next. I was only in court for my testimony so I didn't even know they used her statement. I would have dreams about her which made me think I had just thought her up to deal with losing my dad."

"But she was real," Hotch pointed out.

"Several years ago I met a woman on a case. I didn't think of anything until I saw her again a couple weeks later. It was like something clicked. The more I got to know her, the more I thought, 'could it be her?' I just knew, you know, but I had to be sure, so I read everything on record about my father's murder for the first time. I found her name and the other information her parents gave the police at the scene. And I was right. I found the little girl.. or rather, she found me."

"Have I ever met her?" Hotch asked, now intrigued.

"Yeah. You _hired_ her," Derek smiled slightly as he watched as realization hit his boss.

"Morgan...?" Hotch frowned.

"The little girl that was with me when my father was killed was none other than Penelope Garcia."

"And...?" Hotch asked.

"And right now Anthony Montgomery probably knows where to find her." Derek spat out as he got up from the chair and started pacing again.

"He'll also know where to find you, too, Morgan." Hotch said slowly.

"Hotch, I can take care of myself. I'm more worried about Penelope."

"I'll have security stationed outside her house and make sure she doesn't go anywhere alone," Hotch suggested.

"It's not just that." Derek pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What is it?"

"She doesn't remember being with me that night. She has no idea she was a key witness and that she was the brunt of Montgomery's wrath. Derek sighed. "I never told her the truth. And now I have to figure out how to tell her everything."

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 **A/N: Saw the quote on FB tonight. Thought it fit perfectly as my story transitions to the "present." If anyone knows who said/wrote it, let me know. Thanks for the reviews and faves and follows.**

 **Xoxo,**

 **Pita(PITA)Cake**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or the characters. Some "guest stars" are based on or the named after people in my life while others are totally made up, as are some places and events.**

* * *

Chapter 5

"Thanks for taking me to lunch," Penelope grinned over her milkshake. Her grin faltered as she caught Derek again staring off into space again. She knew something was bothering him, but she didn't know what. "Morgan?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, you're welcome, Baby Girl." He paused. "Did I ever tell you about my father's death?"

"Just that he was killed trying to stop a robbery and you saw it all," Penelope frowned and wondered why he was thinking such morbid thoughts but continued to drink her shake until it was gone.

After they were finished, Derek paid for them and opened the car door for her. He glanced around before closing the door and hurried to the driver's side.

"Derek Morgan, what is going on? I may not be a profiler but I am not stupid. Something happened in Hotch's office this morning. Are you going to tell me or am I going to have to hack your life to find out what it is?"

Derek sighed and rested his head on the steering wheel. "The man that murdered my father escaped from prison," he whispered.

"Oh, my gosh, Derek! Do you think he'll try and come after you?"

"I hope he does, because it'll be over quickly," he growled. "But I'm not his only target."

"Your mom...?" she began.

"Is protected," he finished. "And so are my sisters."

"Is it Savannah?"

"No, Savannah and I called in quits last month," Derek blurted out.

"Derek! Why didn't you tell me? Wait, I'm sorry, that was stupid for me to say, considering... "

"It's all right. It was fine. She just found someone at the hospital who was able to be there more than I ever was." He shrugged.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm not. But no, she's not the target." He lifted his head from the steering wheel and gazed at her.

"Then who is?

He reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand. "You are."

"Me?" she laughed scornfully. "Why would he come after me? I'm just your friend."

Derek closed his eyes tightly. "It's because of what you witnessed."

"'What I witnessed'?" she repeated. "I'm confused. I didn't witness anything."

"Yes, you did. You witnessed a murder."

For once, Penelope was speechless. She opened and closed her mouth twice before a proper thought formed. "Derek, this is wrong on so many levels," she whispered.

"Tell me you don't remember what happened in Chicago," he whispered back.

"Nothing happened in Chicago," she replied as her eyes filled with tears, showing Derek that yes, she did remember.

"Baby Girl, you don't remember the store and the candy and the man with the mask?" he asked.

Penelope shook her head, "No, this is a mistake!"

Derek grabbed her hand and kissed it. "You don't remember the little boy?"

"Derek... " she started to cry.

"Because he never forgot you."

"No!" she yanked her hand away and got out of the car. Derek got out too and ran over to the passenger side.

"Derek, I don't know where you heard that, but it took a long time to come to terms that that was a dream. It never happened! I got bad dreams from watching too much _Murder, She Wrote_ and _MacGyver_ on TV. The boy wasn't real."

"You did witness a murder."

"Derek... "

"Penelope Garcia, I was that little boy!"

"Derek, I..."

Derek dropped to his knee in front of her and grabbed her hand. "I swear it's true. I helped you pick up the Kit Kats. I pulled you into the corner. I fought a grown man who tried to take you away. And it was my father who was shot and killed in front of us."

Penelope stared and promptly burst into tears. Derek gathered her in his arms and let her cry against his shoulder. He let her cry until he felt her shivering. He helped her into the car and got into the driver's seat.

"Are you going to be OK to go back to work?" he asked as she wiped her eyes with a tissue.

"Yeah, just drive slow," she replied.

"I have so many questions..." she whispered and she stared out the window.

"I know. And I promise to answer them as best as I can," he replied. "Can I come over tonight so we can talk?"

"Yes," she said. "Maybe I won't be so confused then."

"Ain't that cute?" the pock-marked man sneered as he stared at the couple from the backseat of the white sedan. "He still likes blondes, I see." His

"She's pretty enough," his companion agreed. "I wish we could hear what he's saying."

"She must mean a lot to him. Look at him kneel down in front of her," Montgomery mused.

"Holy shit! What was the name of that girl who testified against you again?" the companion asked.

"Penelope Garcia," Montgomery snapped. "Why?"

"It's her!"

"Who's her?"

"Look," he shoved his tablet in Montgomery's hands. Montgomery watched the video of the woman holding a press conference. His jaw dropped as she addressed herself as Agent Penelope Garcia. His eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets as the camera panned out and he saw none other than the man they were watching standing next to the blonde agent at the podium. He looked up at his companion with glee.

"It _is_ her!"

Penelope asked to be left alone after Derek walked her back to her office. Derek respected her wishes as he wanted to be alone with his thoughts as well.

He no sooner got comfortable in his chair when there was a knock on his door. "Come in," he called wearily. He was surprised when Hotch came in, followed by a large man with a receding hairline.

Derek stood up as the men stood in front of his desk.

"Hello, Agent Morgan," the large man greeted.

"Gordinski," Derek greeted and nodded. "Can I help you with something?"

"I wanted to come and explain myself in person. I swear I didn't know that Montgomery had escaped. They didn't tell me until his name was brought up during Simon Dart's murder investigation. The older cop sighed as he continued: "I was also informed just before my flight here that someone else had escaped with Montgomery. The prison didn't piece two-and-two together until then."

"Who else escaped?" Morgan's heart pounded.

"Malcolm Ford."

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading.**

 **Xoxo,**

 **Pita(High-Tech Redneck)Cake**

 ***I updated both stories earlier this evening but they didn't post for some reason. I apologize for that. I only have three-minute breaks and I haven't been able to look at my phone during this wonderful chaos that I love.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or the characters. Some "guest stars" are based on or named after people in my life while others are totally made up, as are some places and events.**

* * *

Chapter 6

"Hold up. Malcolm Ford and Anthony Montgomery met in prison?"

"Yeah. Montgomery must've had someone feeding him information from the outside. According to the guards and informants, he befriended Ford right away. They spoke of you constantly."

"Like I told Hotch, I'm not worried about me," Derek to Gordinski.

"I also put protection on your aunt and cousin and her son."

"I appreciate that and I know they'll feel safer for it. Ford is a pansy. He was probably more than happy that a cop killer befriended him. Montgomery has had thirty years to think about revenge and I'm not the one he really wants.

"I'm assuming you mean the little girl witness. I read the file. He blamed an eight year-old girl for him getting caught and put away."

"Yes."

"You need to find her. She's needs to know she's not safe."

"What do you mean?"

"He talked about doing everything he could to find her, to anyone who would listen. There are files missing from his old lawyer's home office. Even though he was retired he still checked on cases from time to time."

"I bet the file from Montgomery's trial is missing, which means he knows her name. And Ford knows me and where I work. It won't take long for them to put two-and-two together."

"You know where the girl is?" Gordinski asked disbelievingly.

Morgan and Hotch shared a look. "Yes," Hotch said tightly. "She's our Technical Analyst."

"The lady you guys talked to on the phone? That's the little girl from Chicago? How...?" Gordinski looked confused.

"I have no idea, honestly. I just found out myself. But she is an FBI agent in my unit and she's safe with us," Hotch reassured the police captain.

"Does she know?"

"Yeah, she knows. I actually just got back from telling her. The memories were repressed because she was told the whole thing was from nightmares from watching too many crime shows on TV, so she eventually didn't believe it really happened. Hell, for a long time I thought I made _her_ up. She was there and gone so quickly I thought she was an angel sent to help me deal with my father's death. I dreamed about her, though, and she helped me out with... stuff," Derek explained.

Penelope believed me today because I knew everything about that night and we never discussed it. I tried bringing it up years ago but the only thing she remembered was visiting Chicago as a child and that it was the first time she saw snow. I didn't think it was right to say

I realized who she was a couple weeks after Hotch hired her. When I first suspected it I looked at the police files and trial transcripts for the first time. Everything matched and that's when I knew. Penny was always

"How do suggest we approach this to the team? Hotch asked after Gordinski left.

"The team?" Morgan asked stupidly.

"Two of our members are being threatened. I think it's important to tell everyone so we can all watch out for each other."

"Hotch..."

"Morgan, a threat to one of us is a threat to all of us. A threat to _two_ of us and there is no keeping this a secret. You and Garcia are important to all of us."

"I'm going over to Garcia's tonight. She was incredibly emotional when I told her at lunch. Now I have to tell her about Ford and everything else. Maybe tell them all in the morning and in the meantime tell everyone to give her some space. I'll ask Garcia what she wants to do."

"Why don't you and Garcia go home now? We don't have any cases and I'll arrange for Team B to work with another tech for awhile."

"Really, Hotch?" Morgan was surprised.

"Yes. You need some time and so does she. Go."

"Thanks." He gathered his bag and a few files and walked out with Hotch.

"If you need anything, let me know." the Unit Chief nodded at Derek as he walked the opposite direction to his own office.

* * *

Derek took a deep breath and knocked on Garcia's office door.

"Enter," she called out. It broke his heart to hear her voice strained.

He let himself in the room and walked over to where Penelope was sitting and watching a video of kittens dancing. She looked up at him with watery eyes and a tiny smile.

"Hey, Baby Girl." Derek turned her chair around and knelt in front of her.

"Hey yourself. Did you come here to check on me?" she asked.

"Sorta," he replied. "Feel like getting out of here?"

"We just got back..." she protested.

"Yes, I know. And we've been sprung."

"What?!"

"Hotch just told me we could go home. So get your stuff. You're coming with me."

"I can't. Team B is in Knoxville and I'm waiting..."

"Hotch said he'd take care of it," Derek interrupted.

"Oh, thank God. I feel like my brain has been replaced with tapioca," she said as she turned off her babies and grabbed her bag. In the elevator he took her bag from her and put his arm around her shoulders. He pretended not to notice her stiffen at his touch.

His phone rang as he started up the car. He looked at the caller I.D. and braced himself for the oncoming storm.

"Hey, Mama," he greeted. He glanced over to see Penelope looking out the window and smirking. "I'm driving. Can I call you back in a little while? Thanks, Ma. I love you." He hung up the phone and looked over at Penelope.

"How pissed is she?" she asked.

"Ehh... I think she's more worried than anything."

"She's not the only one, " Penelope muttered. Derek pretended not to hear that as his heart tightened.

"My house or yours?" he asked.

"Does it matter?" she asked. "Yours," she said after his pleading look.

He drove to his house and parked in the driveway. He motioned for her to wait and looked around as he walked around and helped her out.

Derek let them in and reset the alarm. He turned to face her and saw she was trying not to cry. He gathered her in his arms and enveloped her in a big hug. He felt the tears wet his shirt as she wept into his shoulder. He led her to the couch and put her in his lap. "I'm sorry," he whispered as she stopped shuddering and her breathing regulated. He gently pushed her away and saw she had cried herself to sleep.

He kissed the top of her head, picked her up in his arms and took her upstairs to the spare bedroom. He chose the room next to his because he wanted her close. He laid hey on the bed and took her shoes off. He tucked her into bed and kissed her again, this time on the forehead.

Derek signed as he went back downstairs and called his mom back.

"Hey, Mama," he greeted.

"Hey, Baby Boy," she answered.

"How mad are you?" he asked.

"I'm not anymore. I was but Sarah said that you may be on a case and couldn't call."

"I wasn't, but you all found out before I did. I didn't know until I got to the office this morning and after lunch Gordinski himself came by to tell us Malcolm Ford escaped, too."

"Did you tell Penelope yet?" Fran asked. She was the only person he ever told about his and Penelope's connection.

"Yes. I took her to lunch. She is scared and upset. Hotch sent us both home early. I brought her to my house and she cried herself to sleep."

"Do you want to come home?" Fran asked.

"Yes, but I don't want to make you guys targets, too. There's been no sightings so far and CPD think they may still be in the area. Until they've been caught again, I don't want to risk it," he sighed.

"I get it. Call me if you need anything, do you hear?"

"Yes, Mama. I love you."

"I love you too, Baby Boy."

Derek turned on the TV and flipped it to ESPN. He wasn't even aware of his eyes closing until an earsplitting scream echoed through the house.

* * *

 **A/N: I received some disturbing news tonight that I can't wrap my head around. My muse was struggling even before this and now she's off somewhere around Pluto. I'm not sure when I'll update this and PP &F but I won't leave for long, I hope. Until then,**

 **Xoxo,**

 **PitaCake**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or the characters. Some "guest stars" are based on or named after people in my life while others are totally made up, as are some places and events.**

* * *

Chapter 7

Derek bolted up the stairs, taking them two and three at a time, and ran into the guest room. His heart cramped as he saw Penelope sitting up in the bed, clutching a pillow to her chest, rocking back and forth, shaking and sobbing.

"Hey, Sweetness," he whispered as he sat next to her on the bed and gathered her in his arms. He pushed her hair back away from her face. "It's all right, Baby. You're safe."

He held her like that until she stopped shaking. "I can't believe it's all true... it really happened," she whispered. "My parents told me it was all a bad dream and after awhile I believed them. I still have nightmares about it."

"I do, too," he confessed. "Have nightmares about it, I mean."

"Witnessing your father's death was frightening for me, I can't imagine how it was for you."

"Yeah, well..." he trailed off, clearly uncomfortable with where the conversation was heading.

Penelope sighed and, feeling safe in Derek's embrace, she allowed herself to remember the reoccurring nightmare that had plagued her for years. It was a mixed bag, discovering the nightmare really happened. On one hand, it was a relief knowing that it all wasn't in her head. At the same time, she was mad that her parents lied to her and Derek never said anything. She was also horrified that the murder she witnessed was Derek's father's.

Derek felt her stiffen in his arms. He looked down to see her staring off into space and absently drawing doodles on the blanket with her finger. "Do you want to call Sam?" he asked.

"No," she replied. "He probably wouldn't answer, anyway."

"Did you guys get into a fight or something?"

"Yeah. He snagged a part in an off-off-Broadway play. He came home when he could but someone saw him and offered him a lead in another, bigger play after the run. He took it as a sign and moved there. He didn't even ask... he just assumed I'd go with him. His reasoning was that I could just get a position in the New York office. He couldn't understand that I can't leave Quantico, even if I wanted to. He said... " she looked away and pressed her lips together as I'd she'd already revealed way more than she wanted.

"He said what, Baby Girl? What did he say?"

Penelope sighed. "He said my attachment to the BAU wasn't normal or healthy. His exact words were, "It's not like they're your family or anything."

He tightened his grip around her. "I'm so sorry, Baby." The caveman in him wanted to find Sam and beat the crap out of him. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"What was I supposed to say? 'My boyfriend said my relationship with the people I consider my family- my FBI team- isn't healthy while rubbing in my face the fact that I don't have any real family to speak of'?"

"Penelope, you don't deserve a man that says things like that!"

"I know that! That's why I kicked him out and broke up with him!" she snapped.

"That's my Baby Girl," he couldn't hold in his smile. "Soooo... Do you want to to crash here tonight?"

"Do you mind? I don't want to intrude."

"Of course not. I don't want you to be alone while these maniacs are out there."

"What?" she pushed him away and looked up. "You said 'maniacs.' Plural. As in more than one. What aren't you telling me, Derek?"

He gripped her hands in his. "Malcolm Ford escaped with Montgomery," he explained.

"Malcolm Ford?" she gasped. "The guy who..."

"Kidnapped my cousin Cindi?" he finished. "Yeah, that's him. They also think they killed Montgomery's old defense attorney."

"Oh, my gosh! Do you honestly think they'll come after you through me?" she asked.

He sighed. "Ford knows I'm an FBI agent. It won't be too hard to figure out that you're an agent, too and that we're on the same unit."

"The power of Google," she muttered.

"Yeah, and Montgomery has had thirty years to stew in hate and think about revenge. He threatened you in open court and in the prison yard. You're the reason I was able to positively ID him."

"I was an eight year-old girl!" she cried.

"And he's a psychopath!' he argued back. "He blames _you_ for his arrest and conviction! He didn't care then that you were just a little girl. I guarantee you he definitely doesn't care now that you're grown up."

"Are we in danger?" she asked.

"Yes. How much, I don't know," he answered honestly. "They have everyone looking for them and it's like they disappeared. I'm still not taking any chances with your safety."

"Do you think it's safe to go to my place and grab a few things?" she asked. "My go-bag is in my office and I'll need a few things from home."

Derek looked at his watch. "Sure, but I want to be back before it gets dark. We can pick up some Chinese food on the way, if you want."

"Whatever."

* * *

"You're being quiet," Derek remarked as he pulled up to Penelope's building. She shrugged and continued to stare out the window. He put the SUV into park and quickly scanned the area before getting out. Penelope allowed him to open her door but ignored his hand. Derek raised his eyebrows and frowned but didn't say anything.

In her apartment, Penelope set about gathering a bag with a few essentials. With every item added to the bag, the angrier she got. She was expecting Derek to say something, anything, explaining why he never told her about their shared past. She deserved an explanation. She was supposed to be his best friend, after all.

"I'm ready," she announced as she grabbed her laptop case. She took it and her wheelie case and opened the door to leave. She felt Derek try to tug the bags from her and jerked them back as she locked the deadbolt behind them. "I can manage," she snapped. "Who do you think carries stuff when you're not here?"

That stopped Derek in his tracks. He didn't do anything out of the ordinary. Did that mean that by taking care of her like he was always taught to treat women, he treated her better than her boyfriends did?

"Sorry, Princess," he said as he pried her hand from the wheelie case's handle. "Chivalry will never die as long as Derek Morgan is around."

Penelope cooked her head at him like she didn't understand and shrugged as she descended the stairs. She didn't say a word to him as they drove to their favorite Chinese restaurant. She ordered her food and whipped out her card before Derek could stutter out a protest.

They brought their food home and while they were eating at the table, Derek tried to engage Penelope in conversation but she would only answer in monosyllables and incoherent grunts. After the eighth shrug and grunt, Derek dropped his chopsticks on his plate and grabbed her hands, forcing her to drop her own chopsticks. She looked at him with fire in her eyes and tried to pull her hands away. "No you don't, Baby Girl. What's wrong?" A shiver went up his spine as she looked at him. Fury radiated off her and he'd never seen her angrier.

"Derek Morgan, I can't believe you just asked me that," she whispered and burst into uncontrollable laughter.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you for all the love, even when I'm slacking in the updates.**

 **Xoxo,**

 **PitaCake**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or the characters. Some "guest stars" are based on or named after people in my life while others are totally made up, as are some places and events.**

 **Heads up: My muse is feeling sweary.**

* * *

Chapter 8

"Bab... " Derek released Penelope's hands in confusion.

Penelope stopped laughing and glared at him. She sat back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest.

"Don't. Don't _even_ 'Baby Girl' me. Derek, can you honestly sit there and say you have no idea why I would be pissed off at you right now? No clue... no inkling... no hints at all?" Penelope cocked her head from side to side and shot him a death stare.

Derek sighed and looked down at his hands. He knew exactly why she was mad, and he didn't blame her one bit. The adrenaline rush was long gone and was now replaced with anger. "I know why you're mad at me," he said without looking up.

"Really?" she snorted.

"You're upset that I didn't tell you before about... about what happened in Chicago," he said as he finally looked up and into her eyes. He saw anger in them, but more than that, he saw betrayal. And hurt. His heart dropped. He knew he screwed up, big time.

"Ba... Penelope," he corrected. "I know I should've told you. I just didn't..."

"You didn't what, Derek? Didn't have the time? You couldn't spare five minutes to say, 'by the way, Baby Girl...' and told me?" she yelled as tears filled her eyes.

"It's not like that... "

"Then what was it like? From where I'm sitting, it looks like you kept a pretty big secret about us from me, like I'm too insignificant or emotionally unstable... Wait... that's it, isn't it? Because I can't compartmentalize like you and Hotch, you thought I couldn't handle the truth? That I'd fall apart or be scared shitless and not be able to do my job?"

"No..."

"Then what is it? Am I too undeserving or stupid? I know it was a fluke that I was hired by the FBI in the first place and that there are hundreds of geeks who deserve to be the BAU's tech who actually have degrees who went to the academy and did all the right things instead of the wrong ones "

"Dammit, Penelope, stop!" Derek yelled. "No, it wasn't because I thought you were insignificant or unstable and you sure as hell are not undeserving or stupid."

"Then why?" she whispered.

Derek stood up and paced the room. "I don't know why I never told you, OK? I wanted to so many times but..."

"Like all the time we spent together after I was shot? Or in Alaska?"

"No! I couldn't tell you when you were that vulnerable!"

"Fine... but what about during our ten-thousand movie nights? Or our million video chats? Or our countless phone calls?"

"I was scared, OK," he yelled back.

"Of what?" she asked.

"This! Of this! Your reaction!" he yelled.

"What do you expect?"

"I don't know! I guess I thought I was sparing you."

"How long have you known?" she asked.

Derek took a deep breath. "Almost right away," he admitted. "I thought you were familiar during our first dinner together. I had a dream that night and by the time I got to the office the next morning, I knew it in my heart. I read my father's file and got some information and that's when I knew one-hundred percent."

"So you knew about this for the better part of twelve years?"

"Yeah."

"Would you have kept this a secret had Montgomery not escaped?"

"Maybe... I honestly don't know. I wish I had told you."

"Derek..."

"You want to know why I never told you; why I never told anyone besides my mama? I'm a coward, OK? Is that what you want to hear? I'm a coward and I didn't want you to hate me. All I ever wanted was to be the hero you deserve. The one you always say I am. And I failed. I'm a horrible friend. Why do you think I always say I'm not a hero? It's because I'm not."

"I don't hate you, Derek Morgan. I could never hate you. I'm just really, really pissed off. This has been an incredibly emotional and confusing day. Right now, all I want to do is finish my food, take a bath, and relax."

"OK. Whatever you want to do," he replied.

They finished their dinner in silence and afterward they each opened a fortune cookie. They read their fortunes to themselves and looked up at each other.

"Well, I think I'm going to take that bath now," she announced, breaking up the awkward silence as she crumpled the paper fortune. She picked up her cartons and threw them in the trash bin. She smiled a little when she saw the separate bins for recyclables. Although the food containers weren't recyclable, she was pleased to see glass, plastic, aluminum, and paper divided up.

"I put your bags and purse in your room," Derek said as he came up behind her. He saw her sneak the smile when she saw his green efforts.

"Thanks." He watched as she climbed up the stairs, pausing halfway up to remove her heels. He waited until he heard the door close before he headed upstairs. He heard the water running and music coming from the guest bath as he walked past the closed door.

Derek paused outside the open door of the guest room and smiled. Truth be told, it was Penelope who he had thought of when he was trying to decide how to paint and furnish this room. He painted the walls pale yellow and the ceiling lavender. He had built a window seat and Penelope herself had sewn the yellow cushion and pillows in different shades of purple. The bedspread was lavender and the walls were dotted with small, framed pictures of flowers. There was a dresser, nightstand, and rocking chair, all stained to a dark hue.

He saw her bags by the window seat and her pajamas on the bed. He saw the crumpled fortune on the dresser next to her purse and his curiosity got the better of him. He walked in and picked up the slip of paper. His eyebrows rose as he read, "Life is an adventure in forgiveness." He replaced the fortune and went to his own room, where he sat down and pulled his own fortune out of his pocket. "The Great Wall was built to keep enemies out, not loved ones," he read again. He knew he had to be completely honest in order to make things right with Penelope, even if it meant opening up his heart.

He replaced his work clothes with sweats and an ancient FBI t-shirt and turned on the TV. He flipped through channels and watched the news and weather reports before switching to ESPN.

Derek heard the bathroom door open and the guest room door close and a few minutes later he heard footsteps going down the stairs. He got up and went downstairs to see what Penelope was doing. He looked into the living room and frowned when he saw it unoccupied. He then walked to the kitchen and stood in the doorway and watched as Penelope cracked open a fortune cookie and fished out the paper. She took a bite of the cookie as she read the fortune. She sighed and threw out the wrapper. She turned and jumped when she saw Derek standing in the doorway.

She squeaked a little and dropped the cookie and fortune as her hand flew to her chest. "Derek Morgan! Don't sneak up on me. I'm already super on-edge as it is!"

"Sorry, Baby," he apologized as he picked up the cookie and paper for her. He threw out the cookie and handed her the fortune.

"Want to watch Netflix?" he asked.

"Sure."

They moved to the couch and Derek handed Penelope the remote before sitting down. She flipped through the titles quickly before deciding one she knew they both liked. As the movie progressed, she kept noticing Derek staring at her. As the credits rolled, she looked over and he was staring again. "What?" she asked.

"What?" he repeated.

"You've been staring at me the last two hours," She stated.

"Sorry," he replied. "Do you want some popcorn?"

"Yeah!"

"We can go upstairs and watch some more," he asked.

"Sounds good," She replied as she followed him to the kitchen. He took out his air popper while she got the kernels and seasoning from the pantry. He got a couple of beers from the fridge and together they went back upstairs. They got under the covers in his bed and ate the popcorn and drank the beers. He couldn't stop himself from stealing more glances, studying her features and expressions like never before

Halfway through the third movie he turned to ask her a question and saw she had fallen asleep. He took her glasses off her face and placed them on the nightstand. He debated on whether to carry Penelope to her room or just letting her sleep here. He was still contemplating and didn't realize his eyes had closed until he woke up a few hours later with his arm wrapped around Penelope. He grinned as she mumbled in her sleep and her hugged her closer, breathing in her strawberry scented shampoo until he fell back asleep.

* * *

 **A/N: Merry Christmas Eve. I found out some interesting news (several pieces) and I don't want to jinx it, so I'm just going to ask for positive vibes. Enjoying the vacation but missing my furbabies.**

 **Xoxo,**

 **Pita(homesick)Cake**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or the characters. Some "guest stars" are based on or named after people in my life while others are totally made up, as are some places and events.**

* * *

Chapter 9

Derek woke up to the sound of the garbage truck squealing to a stop, followed by the clank and thud of it collecting the can. He felt unusually warm and was momentarily confused as he felt movement next to him. He looked over to see Penelope turn from her back to face him, smiling slightly in her sleep. Derek's heart swelled. He felt like the luckiest man in the world to wake up next to her. _She really is an angel,_ he thought. _The perfect woman._ She had allowed her hair to air dry overnight and it lay in thick waves all over the pillows. Her scent had permeated him and his bed. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen and his body's involuntary reactions proved how much he wanted her.

Getting up out of bed without waking her, he slipped on his house shoes and started the shower. He let the cold water hit him for a few minutes while forcing himself to not think about the goddess in his bed. When he was finally able to control his body some, he switched to warmer water and finished his shower. He wrapped a towel around his hips after drying off some.

Derek walked back into the bedroom and couldn't help but stare at Penelope, who was still sleeping soundly. He hated to wake her but knew she needed to wake up so they could get to work on time. He knelt down next to the bed and brushed the hair away from her face. "Baby Girl," he murmured.

"Hmm..." she mumbled, still asleep.

"It's time to wake up," he sing-songed.

"Wha...?" she opened her eyes, squinting as she tried to focus on him.

"Here," he handed her her glasses. He grinned as he watched her eyes focus as she put the glasses on. "Good morning, Princess."

"I'll show you a good morning, Hot Stuff," she blurted out, not thinking. She blushed and buried her face in the pillow and cursed her lack of filter.

 _You already have,_ he thought. "The water's all yours," he said as he disappeared into the walk-in closet. When he came out, completely dry and dressed in his pants and socks, she was gone. He was surprised to see the bed neatly made and the beer bottles and popcorn bowl gone as well.

Derek finished dressing and went downstairs to wait for Penelope to finish getting ready. As he passed her bathroom he heard the shower turn off. He washed the popcorn bowl and put it away and checked the scores on ESPN. He heard Penelope coming down the stairs. He looked at his watch and did a double-take. It had taken her ten minutes to get dressed, apply her makeup, and do her hair. He stood and saw her efficiently juggling her shoes, laptop bag, and purse. He watched as she set the bags down so she could slip on the shoes, which were dove gray with purple bows. Her dress was also gray, a little darker than her shoes, and over it she wore a purple cardigan. Her hair was tamer than before, and she wore it loose with a lot of the wave still in it, holding it back with a purple headband. She wore purple cat-framed glasses.

Her outfit reminded him of their childhood, of her in her purple coat and rainbow hat. He knew then that she was beautiful and he knew it now. "We have time to get some breakfast, if you want," he explained as he gathered his wallet, badge, and keys while she checked her purse. He helped her put on her coat before grabbing his own jacket.

"Sounds good," she smiled shyly as she picked up her bags. He shook his head and took the laptop bag from her. He opened the door and did a quick scan outside before setting the alarm and leading her out. He opened the car door for her and kissed her hand before putting her bag in the backseat.

* * *

"She stayed the night with him," Malcolm Ford spoke into a cell phone.

"She hasn't done that before. I thought they were just co-workers but it looks like they are more than that... a lot more than that," Anthony Montgomery replied. "Are they leaving?"

"Yeah. I'm following them. They just pulled into a diner," Ford answered. "You should see them. He treats her like a princess. Makes me sick."

"Keep following her. His schedule is too erratic to get a pattern. Maybe hers is more solid."

"And what are you doing?"

"Getting us a bigger and better place to crash."

"Good. That motel is too busy and we need privacy."

* * *

"Hotch wants to tell the team today," Derek explained as they studied their menus.

Penelope froze and peaked over her menu at her best friend. He was staring at her and she knew he was watching her every reaction. "Stop treating me like a victim," she snapped. "And stop profiling me!"

Derek frowned and set his menu down. Before he could say anything the waitress sauntered up. "So, you know what you'd like to order?" she asked, looking at Derek and ignoring Penelope as she filled up their coffee cups.

"Baby?" Derek asked, his eyes never leaving Penelope.

"Yeah, I'll have a Mexican egg-white omelet with extra peppers and cheese, please," Penelope said.

"And for you, hon?" the waitress asked Derek.

"I'd like two eggs over-easy, with a side of bacon and toast with strawberry jam,' he requested.

"I'll get that right out to you," she smiled widely at Derek. Penelope rolled her eyes as she walked away, taking the menus with her. Normally she found it amusing when women would flirt with him but today she was irritated. She felt weirdly territorial and it was an unfamiliar feeling. What she wanted was to stand on her chair and scream to the waitress (and anyone else who looked twice at Derek,) 'He is mine!'"

Derek grabbed Penelope's hands. "Baby Girl, I'm sorry if you think I'm treating you like a victim. I don't mean to."

"I'm still mad at you."

"I know. That won't ever stop me from loving and protecting you."

Penelope sighed. "What is Hotch going to tell the team?"

"Do you want to speak to him privately before telling everyone else?" Derek was unconsciously rubbing her cold hands with his much warmer ones.

"I don't know what to say," Penelope shrugged.

"He'll discuss safety measures and get your input as to what you want to do."

"I feel safest with you," she replied shyly, remembering how he stood in front of her all those years before.

Derek smiled as he bent his head and kissed her hand. "And I feel better when you're with me. We'll figure this out."

"I don't want everyone fussing and making a big deal about this and treating me different," she whispered.

"I'm sorry, Sweetheart, but this _is_ a big deal. You are very special to a lot of people and everyone at the BAU is going to be worried about your safety."

"Derek, I... " Penelope was cut off when the waitress returned with their food.

"Enjoy," she said.

Derek and Penelope ate in silence for several minutes. "They're going to want to know everything but I don't know what to tell them. I don't know that what all I remember is accurate. I don't want to say anything that isn't true."

"Baby, you don't have to tell them anything. Everything is in the reports and files. Hotch will understand."

"I'm scared."

"Don't be. All we're going to talk about is how we're going to keep you safe." He took out his phone as it chirped a text alert. "Hotch wants to know if you want to meet in his office, mine, or yours."

"Mine," Penelope requested. "No windows and more privacy."

"All right." Derek texted Hotch back.

* * *

Derek texted Hotch again as soon as he and Penelope were in her office. Penelope set about turning on her babies while Derek watched. He was mesmerized by her every move. Less than a minute later there was a knock on the door. Derek answered it and allowed Hotch in.

"Sir," Penelope rose from her chair and gestured to her couch. She pulled her chair over and sat while Hotch and Derek took the couch.

"Garcia, I can speak for the whole unit when I say we will do everything we can to protect you," Hotch began.

"Thanks, Bossman. That means a lot," Penelope replied.

"We have several things we could do, but I think the best thing for you -and the rest of the unit- is for you to come with us when we travel for cases."

"But... but... I'm not a field agent," Penelope stuttered.

"You wouldn't be in the field. You'd be at the local police station, field office, or hotel. Someone will be with you at all times."

"I'd like that... I like that a lot," Penelope smiled. "But I can't. I've got Team B to take care of..."

"I've already arranged for Cooper's team to work with a different tech," Hotch replied. "I didn't say anything, but I think we should explain it to him. He and his team adore you and will understand."

"All right."

"When we're home, I don't want you alone. I have no problem having you stay with me, and I'm sure the others will be happy to help out..."

"Wait, sir! I appreciate the gesture, I really do, but I will not put Jack's life in danger. Or Henry and Michael's, or Meg and Michelle's, for that matter," Penelope said.

"You can stay with me," Derek said.

"We'll figure it out later, after we tell the team what's going on," Hotch decided.

"Do I have to be there? When you tell everyone, I mean." Penelope asked.

"I don't want you to do anything you're not comfortable with," Hotch said as he and Derek stood up. "We don't have any active cases right now. I'll tell the team to give you space."

"Thanks again, Sir," Penelope said as Hotch left her office.

"You're going to get tired of me if I'm going to be traveling with you and staying with you," she half-joked as she wheeled back over to the screens. When she didn't receive an answer she turned around. Her eyes widened as she caught him staring... again. "Like what you see, Hot Chocolate?" she teased.

"Most definitely, Gorgeous. And no, I will never get tired to you," he smiled. "I'll be back after the meeting," he said and kissed the top of her head.

Penelope sighed. "Why does he keep looking at me like he's never seen me before?" she mused out loud. She turned back to her babies and started to type furiously. A few minutes later she gasped and walked out of her office.

* * *

Hotch walked to his office and saw that Kate, Reid, and JJ were at their desks and Rossi was walking up the stairs to his office. "Conference room in ten," he announced. He walked into his office and called Cruz and explained their plan. Cruz agreed to let Garcia travel with the team and explained that he was working with the US Marshals to find Montgomery and Ford.

"Where's Garcia?" JJ asked as Derek walked into the war room and closed the door behind him. "Do we have a case?"

"She's busy," Hotch said as he exchanged a look with Derek. "Morgan," he nodded as he sat down in a chair.

Derek stood up and paced the room. "Thirty years ago my father was killed during a foiled robbery. Yesterday I found out that the bastard who killed him escaped from prison, along with Malcolm Ford. Ford abducted my cousin and held her for eight years before we found her," he explained to Kate. He looked away at the shocked looks on the faces of JJ and Reid. Only Rossi and Hotch kept their expressions in check.

"Do you think they're coming after you?" Reid asked slowly.

"Yeah, I do. Ford knows I'm FBI and that I work in Quantico. My mom and sisters, aunt, and cousin are safe and protected. I'm not worried about them. He hates me and Montgomery blames me and the other witness for him getting caught."

"There was another witness to your father's death?" Kate asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Yes, there was. She was... and still is, the is the brunt of Montgomery's rage," Derek replied.

"Who is this witness?" Rossi asked.

"I am."

* * *

 **A/N: Happy New Year! I celebrated by drinking waaaay too much apple pie and champagne and eating too many wings. Here's to a happy and prosperous 2016.**

 **Xoxo,**

 **Pita(not a lush, honest!)Cake**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or the characters. Some "guest stars" are based on or named after people in my life while others are totally made up, as are some places and events.**

* * *

Chapter 10

"Kitten..." Rossi wavered as he, Hotch, and Reid stood up from their seats.

"Sorry I'm late," Penelope said as she glanced at Derek, who made to walk to her, but she gestured for him to stay put.

"You don't have to be here for this, Penelope," Hotch said as she sat down in an empty seat.

"Yes, sir, I do. I read the reports. The sooner we catch these monsters the better and I'm not going to be a clueless sitting duck twiddling my thumbs when I can be helpful." Penelope turned on her tablet as the team sent warm and admiring looks her way.

Derek continued his presentation while the others swiped through their tablets, or in Reid's case, papers.

"So, you two actually met as children?" JJ asked Derek.

"And you couldn't remember anything about it?" Reid asked Penelope.

"Reid!" Morgan said sharply. He sent him a scalding look and Spencer looked at Penelope apologetically.

"It's all right, Reid. The reason I didn't want to be here for this at first was because I wasn't sure what was real and what was not. I actually remember a lot. In fact, I remember everything. See, my parents were very anti-violence. Even before this, they were horrified that I liked watching law and crime shows on television. After this happened I had nightmares. They began after we came back home to San Francisco. My parents told me that... it never happened, it wasn't real, and that was what happens when one watches too much TV. Whenever I would have a nightmare or talked about that night, they would tell me that I heard about a shooting on the news and every time a show like _Murder, She Wrote_ was on TV, they would turn the channel and say, 'you don't want nightmares again, do you?' or something like that. They kept that up until I eventually believed them. I'll never know their reasoning behind it but I guess they were trying to spare me. Looking back, I think they were more scared than I was. If it wasn't for Derek and his dad, who knows what could've happened, right?"

"They were trying to protect you," Kate explained.

"Are you all right?" JJ asked.

"I read some of the transcripts and what other prisoners said. The things he said..." she shuddered.

"Montgomery and Ford haven't been seen since escaping. Ford knows where I work," Derek said.

"And we have to assume they know about Garcia, too," Hotch added. "I got approval to bring her with us on cases until Ford and Montgomery are apprehended."

"Good idea, Hotch," Rossi nodded. He reached over the table and patted Penelope's hand. "We'll protect you, kiddo."

* * *

The rest of the week was uneventful. Derek caught up on all his paperwork and was able to keep up with every consultation that was sent to him while Penelope updated and upgraded her system. She also created a mobile system consisting of four laptops that she was confident would keep up with her when she traveled with the team.

Derek and Penelope alternated between staying at his house and her apartment. There was still tension between them and Penelope refused to speak about Chicago. She changed the subject whenever Derek mentioned anything about it. Derek was frustrated but he knew to give her space. He was grateful that she allowed him to stay with her and didn't press her to talk.

The following Monday Hotch met with Penelope about a case. It was near Traverse City, Michigan. She put together a presentation after they decided they needed to go there to help. She told Hotch about her mobile system and he was pleased with her resourcefulness.

"All right, Superheros. You, well, _we_ are off to the Great Lakes State. Authorities in Traverse City have requested our presence. In the past nine weeks three women have been found dead on the beach off the bay." Penelope pulled up the victims' pictures on the monitor.

"The victimology and MO don't add up," Derek protested. "Two of the victims were residents and one was a tourist."

"They were different ages," JJ added.

"Two were shot, one had her throat slit," Kate said.

"Yeah, well... each victim had their second toes removed," Penelope ignored the screen as she showed a close up of the victims' feet.

"The toes were amputated post-mortem. And they were crudely cut off," Reid said.

"Torture wasn't the motive," Rossi said. "They had no other injuries or signs of abuse."

"And he's not taking his time. Between the time when the victims were last seen and when their bodies have been found has been less than twenty-four hours," Hotch said. "Wheels up in thirty."

On the jet, Penelope set up one of the laptops and her tablet to begin searching while listening to the others while they continued to profile the UNSUB. She was by herself at the small table when Derek sat down across from her. She looked over the laptop and saw everyone was absorbed in their own things.

"Baby Girl?" Derek looked at her almost shyly as she turned her attention to him.

"What's up, mon ami?"

"I was wondering, ummm... do you want to share a room with me? A hotel room?" he stuttered. He looked uncomfortable when she didn't answer him. "I just thought... I'd feel better if you stayed with me. But if you don't want to, that's cool. I'll just make sure our rooms are next to each other..."

"What?" Penelope looked scandalized. Then she tried and failed to hide a grin. She leaned close and whispered: "I expected we'd be sharing a room, my vision. That is what we do already, right?"

"Good," he grinned back.

"I feel better when I have nightmares and you're there," she admitted.

"Nightmares... about Chicago?" he treaded carefully.

She sighed. "Sometimes. A lot more here lately. Sometimes they're about Battle. Or my parents' deaths."

"Why don't you wake me up?"

"Derek, I've had bad dreams my entire life. And you know bad dreams come with the job."

"I'm sorry, Baby Girl." He hated that her sleep was invaded by bad memories but was pleased his presence helped chase them away. It was another reason he was glad she was coming with them.

"Don't be. Like I said, you being close helps," she reassured him.

When the team arrived at the local police station, Hotch introduced everyone to the sheriff. Penelope set up her computers and continued the searches she started on the jet while the rest of the team checked out the dump sites, the medical examiner's office, and interviewed the victims' families.

Penelope had just hung up the phone with JJ and Reid when she felt like someone was watching her. She looked up to see a tall and very thin deputy staring at her from the doorway. "I was told to make sure you're not alone in here," the deputy announced as he walked over to where she was sitting. He looked her up and down and Penelope felt instantly creeped out, but for the sake of being polite, she offered her hand.

"Hi, I'm Penelope Garcia," she smiled.

"Deputy Boles," he replied and took her hand. His handshake was more like a caress and Penelope pulled her hand away quickly and went back to the computers.

"You don't look FBI," he said.

"Well, I am," she replied, never taking her eyes from the screens. "A technical analyst. If it's in cyberspace, I'll find it."

"You don't carry a weapon."

"No, I don't. I almost never go out in the field so I have no reason to have one."

"You'll let me know if you need anything, yeah?" he fake-smiled as Hotch and Derek walked in.

"Ugh!" Penelope groaned. It was evening and she had run into another dead end and was frustrated and tired. She took off her glasses and rubbed her dry and gritty eyes. She decided to stretch her legs and get a caffeine boost.

The police station was quiet and she saw a couple deputies at their desks as she walked to the break room. She eyed the coffee maker and looked at the half-empty pot with distrust. Gingerly she felt the glass. It was cold. She dumped the contents in the sink and started to brew a fresh pot.

Knowing a watched pot never boils, she left and went to the ladies room. She washed her hands and touched up her makeup. She took her time, hoping the coffee would be finished when she got done.

Penelope opened the door and jumped back when she ran into Deputy Boles, who was waiting outside the door. "Whoa, you scared me!" She put a hand to her chest and laughed a little. Penelope tried to step around him, but the deputy stopped her.

"Awful jumpy aren't you?" he sneered.

"I'm not exactly used to men standing just outside bathroom doors," she snapped back.

"I'm supposed to be watching you," he rolled his eyes crossed his arms over his chest. "What were you doing?"

"What do you think people do in restrooms?" she replied sarcastically.

"You have new makeup on," he stated.

"So...?"

"So... what exactly are you doing here?" He stepped closer and Penelope instinctively stepped back until her back hit the wall.

"I _was_ using the facilities," she answered and flinched when he stepped even closer.

"What are you doing _here_ , in Michigan?" he leered. "You're not a field agent. Hell, you don't even carry a gun."

"I...I..." she stuttered.

"Why. Are. You. Here?" he repeated slowly. "The FBI almost never brings technical analysts for cases."

"She's here because she is a member of the BAU, whom your boss invited here." Derek's voice boomed and echoed through the empty hallway.

"Hey, Morgan," Penelope breathed in relief.

"Is there a problem here?" Derek asked, not once taking his eyes off of Boles.

"No problem here." Boles smiled at Penelope. "Just keeping an eye on _Ms._ Garcia here like you all wanted."

Derek held out his hand. "Come on, Garcia. Hotch told me to get you. We're going to to the hotel and getting some sleep."

"Really?" She looked at the clock on her phone. "I'm good for awhile..."

"Nu-uh. You work too hard. Let's go." Derek grabbed her hand and draped his arm over her shoulders. He didn't acknowledge Boles as he pulled her away from the deputy.

Back in her office area, Penelope packed up her equipment in record time. Derek grabbed two bags and she grabbed the other two. She didn't say a word as they got something to eat and brought it back to their hotel room.

"Are you going to tell me what happened back there?" Derek finally asked as they finished their meal.

"Nothing happened," Penelope lied.

"Baby Girl..."

"Just... drop it, Derek, please? I don't want to cause unnecessary drama and take away from the victims." Penelope grabbed her go-bagcand disappeared into the restroom.

Derek waited until he heard the sink running before picking up his phone. "Hotch, something's going on..."

* * *

 **A/N: It has not been a good week all around, it seems. Ran into a cousin while at the hand specialist. Her daughter was seeing a plastic surgeon because she got bitten by a dog and had to have 25 stitches on her face. She's 9. A former co-worker's son started chemo to treat a very rare cancer, and he's only 11. My old high school made national news and not for a good thing, and last night someone broke into my neighbor's house and robbed them at gunpoint. We could all use some positive vibes.**

 **Thanks for reading,**

 **Xoxo,**

 **PitaCake**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or the characters. Some "guest stars" are based on or named after people in my life while others are totally made up, as are some places and events.**

* * *

Chapter 11

Penelope emerged from the bathroom in her pajamas. Derek ended his call when he saw her.

"That was Hotch," he explained. "He needs us to meet with him at the police station first thing in the morning."

Penelope bit her lip. "Do you think he'd mind if I stay here in the room and Skype in?" she asked.

"Sure, Baby Girl, whatever you want." Derek's heart plummeted. He knew then something had definitely happened, no matter how much Penelope denied it.

Penelope set up her computers and resumed the searches. Derek arched an eyebrow. "You don't have to do that, you know."

Penelope matched his expression. "I'm not very tired. I want to have my searches done so you all will be all set for tomorrow."

"All right, all right. Just do your thing, Sweetness." He took his turn in the bathroom and when he came out she had her headphones on. He saw she was filtering and transcribing the last call made by the second local victim. She had already determined that it was made minutes before the victim was abducted.

Derek turned on the TV and flipped the channels. He stopped when he found a channel playing a re-run of a '90s favorite TV show.* The credits were rolling when Penelope turned off the computers. She disappeared into the bathroom and when she came out she went to the other bed and turned down the covers. "Did you get done what you wanted?" he asked as she settled down into the bed. He tried not to be disappointed she chose the other bed. He really liked sleeping next to her but it was getting harder to control his thoughts and feelings. Cold showers were the new normal in his morning routine.

"Yep," was all she answered as she took off her glasses and put them on the nightstand next to her phone. Derek frowned at her sullen tone and turned off the light.

"Goodnight, Baby Girl," he whispered.

"Goodnight, Chocolate Mousse," she whispered back.

* * *

"They never came home," Ford spat out. It was two o'clock in the morning and he had been hiding and watching in his car down the street from Derek's house since eight.

Montgomery swore. "They must've gotten a case. They've never stayed in the office this late." He was hiding in a car near Penelope's apartment building.

"What do you want to do now?" Ford asked.

"Come back in a day or two. Switch cars and see what happens. I'm not in a rush. The marshalls think we're in Chicago."

"What about Morgan and his FBI team? They probably know by now we escaped."

"They aren't looking for us so I'm not worried. I'm going home."

"I'll get some food and meet you back there," Ford said.

Montgomery started the car and drove back to the place he found. It wasn't the best but it was far better than the cell he lived in for three decades. He got comfortable and grabbed a beer and set up a tablet. He re-watched a video someone took of the BAU at a speaking engagement. He watched in fascination as Penelope spoke and sassed the class of college students. She was good with a computer, he gave her that. And she was so pretty. He always knew that she would grow up to be a beautiful woman. He spent thirty years fantasizing about what she looked like as she grew up and he was not disappointed. He searched online and found nothing about her as a child, besides a newspaper article out of California about a couple killed by a drunk driver and two obituaries that had a Penelope Garcia listed as their surviving daughter. He couldn't understand why there was nothing about her except for a few snippets of FBI related things and a couple of YouTube videos of her performing in play when there was a ton of stuff about Derek Morgan- his days as a Chicago cop, member of the bomb squad, and every FBI achievement.

* * *

A few hours later Derek woke up. He looked around the dark hotel room, trying to figure out what woke him suddenly. A soft moan came from the other bed, followed by a high-pitched cry. He was out of his bed in an instant and turned on the bedside lamp. His heart dropped when he saw Penelope curled into a ball on the far edge of the bed. She was still asleep but was shaking and making incoherent noises.

"Penelope. Baby Girl, wake up! Come on, Sweetheart, wake up. It's just a dream," he soothed as he climbed into the bed. He tried to gather her in his arms but as soon as he touched her she sat straight up and stared at the wall.

"He didn't let him take me. He stopped him. What's his name? I didn't ask. Oh, I don't even know his name!" she cried.

"Penny, it's Derek," he whispered as he brought her into his lap. "His name is Derek and he loves you more than anything."

"Derek?" Penelope pushed him away slightly and looked into his eyes. Derek saw she was now fully awake, blinking rapidly and squinting. "What's going on?"

"You had a nightmare, Baby Girl," he explained as he pulled her close again.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"Don't apologize for having bad dreams," he scolded. "You can't help it."

"I know. I'm sorry for waking you up."

"I'm glad you did. It kills me knowing you wake up scared."

They sat there together in silence for a few minutes before Penelope drew in a deep breath. "Derek, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Is me being here a burden?"

"What?! Baby Girl, where on earth did that idea come from?" He pushed her away and looked into her eyes, which were swimming in tears. She didn't say anything.

"No, Baby, you being here is not a burden. If anything, it's the exact opposite. I love having you right here. I can focus on the case better knowing you're close by. I can't speak for the rest of the team but I think they feel the same way."

"All right," she yawned. "I think we need to get back to sleep so we're not dragging tomorrow."

Derek set her down on the bed and moved to go back to his bed but Penelope grabbed his wrist. "Stay with me," she whispered shyly.

"Baby Girl..." he murmured as he brought his lips down on hers. She gasped and her eyes fluttered closed as she wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him closer. She moaned as his tongue found its way into her mouth. "Do you want me to stop?" he asked huskily when they finally came up for air. He rested his forehead against hers.

Regretfully, she nodded. "Derek, what just happened?"

"I couldn't stop myself, Baby Girl. I've been wanting to do that for a long, long time."

"I... I... " she stuttered.

Derek put a finger to her lips. "Shhh... I'll be here whenever you're ready." He kissed her nose. "You're tired. Let's get some sleep." He settled into the bed and brought the blankets up. He tugged her down until she was lying down next to him.

"Hold me, please," she whispered as she found his hand and guided his arm over. She sighed as he wrapped his arm around her, bringing himself closer. She felt her eyelids getting heavy. "I love you too," she whispered as she succumbed to sleep.

Derek gasped. He sat up in his elbow and watched his baby girl sleep. _She heard me!_ he thought to himself. He then hastised himself. _She's afraid and out of her element, Morgan. Don't take advantage now just because she knows everything. She needs time._ He brought his hand up and rested it gently where he knew her scar was. He was just as furious now as he was when he first learned she had been shot. He still blamed himself, even after all this time. _If I would have just manned up and told her how I feel then, she never would have been vulnerable to a predator like Battle. And she never would have been available to Lynch._

Derek laid back down and kissed her head. He fell asleep, breathing in the scent of her strawberry scented shampoo, adding it to his list of things he loved about her.

* * *

 **A/N: *Shout out in the next chapter for the *1st* person to guess and name the TV show Derek watched. Put your guesses in the reviews.**

 **Hello. I know it's been awhile and I apologize for it. We didn't get a flake of snow from the "snowocalypse" but that was the cable company's excuse for not fixing the cable for almost two weeks. Seeing the pictures from my friend in D.C. and cousins in NYC and I'm glad my area was spared. We've been to three funerals in the last week and my BFF asked me to be her witness for her fourth wedding. Ever since my husband watched "Entropy" he calls me ".45." He thinks it's hysterical and I'm just facepalming.**

 **Xoxo,**

 **Pita(not a hitwoman)Cake**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or the characters. Some "guest stars" are based on or named after people in my life while others are totally made up, as are some places and events.**

* * *

Chapter 12

It was early and Derek needed to get going or he'd be late for the meeting with Hotch. He showed quickly and wrote a hasty note to Penelope and left it on his pillow, where he knew she'd see it. He kissed the top of her head gently before leaving.

The meeting took place in the sheriff's office conference room. Hotch and the sheriff were already there. The three exchanged details on the case when Deputy Boles walked in.

"I've received a complaint about you, Boles," the sheriff began.

Boles puffed himself up. "Did their," he glared and pointed at Hotch and Derek, "tech girl say I did something, because I didn't do anything!"

"Sit down and shut up, Boles!" the sheriff barked. The deputy continued to glare at the agents as he sat stiffly in a chair.

"Deputy Boles, I'm going to make this brief because there is someone out there killing women and every minute we waste in here with you is taking away from our efforts to find them," Hotch growled.

"I didn't do anything," Boles whined.

"Is it true that you accosted Agent Garcia night?" Hotch asked.

"I was just doing what was asked. I was keeping an eye on her," Boles argued.

"Are you denying that you demanded Garcia tell you why she was here in Michigan?" Derek asked.

Boles knew he was caught. Morgan had heard him say that. "I was just making conversation," he whined.

Derek stood up. "I know what I heard and what I saw. That was not a simple conversation. I... _we_ study behavior for a living. You were harassing her."

"I... I..." Boles stuttered.

"I will not tolerate anyone harassing members of my team. If I hear of you messing with Agent Garcia again, I will file harassment charges against you. Garcia does not answer to you nor does she owe you any explanations as to why she is here. She is here because she is a member of the BAU," Hotch said, his eyes never leaving Boles as he stood. "Sheriff, Deputy," he nodded and left, with Derek following close behind.

"I need to talk with Garcia," Hotch told Derek as they climbed into the SUV.

"It's still early," Derek replied, looking at his watch. "She may not be awake yet."

"I need some coffee," Hotch announced as he pulled into the parking lot of a coffee shop.

"Me, too," Derek agreed. "And I better get one for Garcia, too. She's not going to be pleased when she finds out I told you about last night."

"Text me when she's ready," Hotch said as he dropped Derek off at the hotel after the coffee run.

Derek let himself in the room and was surprised to see the bathroom light on and both beds already made. He knocked on the bathroom door and told her he was back. He texted Hotch and told him to come up in fifteen minutes.

Penelope emerged from the bathroom fully dressed. "Early meeting?" she asked, picking up the note and raising an eyebrow.

"Yep," he grinned and reached behind him and pulled out her coffee.

"Oh, gimme!" she cried and reached for the cup.

"You were sleeping so soundly I didn't want to wake you," he explained as she took a sip of her coffee.

"At least you brought back some caffeine." She looked at her phone. "Can we sneak off and grab some sustenance?"

"Hotch needs to talk to you. He'll be up here in a few minutes," he said casually as she dug in her suitcase for a pair of silver heels.

Penelope dropped the shoes and whipped around. "You told him, didn't you?" she whispered.

"Baby Girl, _no one_ has the right to speak to you like that," he said as he picked up the shoes and made her sit on her bed. He knelt down in front of her pulled off her house shoes and slipped the heels on her feet.

"Yes, but..." Penelope was interrupted by a knock on the door. Derek kissed her cheek and answered the door. Hotch came in, carrying a paper bag.

"Morgan told me you're going to stay in here. They were serving these in the lobby," he said and handed her the bag.

Curiosity got the better of her and she peeked into the bag. "Croissants?" she raised an eyebrow and looked up at her boss.

"The lady at the front desk said they're really good. They're blueberry and cream cheese," Hotch smiled a bit as he turned a chair around and sat in front of her.

"Hotch, sir..." she began. "I'm..."

"Garcia, that had better not be the beginning of an apology," he interrupted. She pressed her lips together and shot Derek a dirty look.

"Penelope, I want you to feel like you can come to me for anything," the Unit Chief told her. "If someone is acting inappropriate, I don't care who they are, you need to tell someone."

"OK."

"I need to hear from you what happened last night."

"Sir, I've been with you all on cases. I've never had anyone be inappropriate... until yesterday." She looked at her hands as she spoke. "It wasn't just last night, sir. I was doing my thing, like I do when I'm in my lair, and I felt someone was staring. I looked up and it was Deputy Boles. He... I don't know how to explain it. He introduced himself but it was creepy. I was polite and introduced myself and the way he shook my hand... I don't know. It wasn't professional, to say the least. He said I didn't look like I was in the FBI and assured him that I was, and that I was a technical analyst. He noticed I don't carry a gun and pointed it out. I told him that because I am almost never in the field, I don't need to carry a weapon. That was when you guys came back and he left. All day, it felt like someone was staring at me but when I would look up there wouldn't be anyone there.

Then, in the evening, I got frustrated at another dead end so I decided to take a break. I went to their break room and started a new pot of coffee. While it brewed I went to the ladies' room. When I came out he... Boles... was right outside the door. He startled me, standing so close to the door and he demanded to know what I was doing in there. I was so surprised by the question I said, 'what do you think people do in restrooms?' He noticed that I had touched up my makeup and pointed it out. He then asked what I was doing here and I said I was just using the facilities and he clarified and asked what I was doing here in Michigan, given that I'm not a field agent and don't carry a gun. He was seriously invading my personal space and I was backed up against the wall. He asked again, all condescendingly, and that was when Morgan came and got me."

"Why didn't you tell me what happened last night when I asked?" Derek demanded.

"I told you, I don't want to cause drama with the locals and take away from the victims. I want to find this UNSUB quickly and I don't want to take time away from finding them because of some sexist deputy creep."

"I'm sorry about that, Garcia. If someone is bothering you, you need to tell us. We've already warned Boles to leave you alone," Hotch told her.

"Thanks. _Do_ you mind if I stay in here? I don't feel comfortable going back to the station," she asked.

"Yes, whatever you want. We need to get going and meet with everyone." Hotch and Derek stood and Penelope walked then to the door. As soon as they left she fired up her babies and took a bite out of one of the croissants. It was delicious, the blueberries and cream cheese blending perfectly. She sat back and enjoyed the pastry while waiting for her superheroes to call for their information.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading. I love reviews.**

 **Xoxo,**

 **PitaCake**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or the characters. Some "guest stars" are based on or named after people in my life while others are totally made up, as are some places and events.**

* * *

Chapter 13

All conversations stopped as the BAU entered the sheriff's department. "What's going on?" Kate whispered to JJ as the team walked to their designated area.

"No idea," JJ whispered back.

"Isn't Garcia coming?" Reid asked.

"Garcia is staying at the hotel," Hotch said.

"Is she all right?" JJ asked.

"She had a run-in with an inappropriate deputy last night," Hotch explained. He glanced at Morgan. "We took care of it already."

"By the looks we just got, I think the deputy shared his own version of what happened," Rossi said dryly.

"Garcia didn't want to make a big deal of it," Morgan said. "She wants us to focus on on the case."

* * *

"That's about as vague as you can get," Penelope groaned over the speakerphone as she typed in the parameters.

"I just sent you some coordinates," Reid said as he glanced up from his map.

"Got 'em. Narrowing... narrowing... Wow. Three names... sent to your phones... now."

"You are the best," Derek grinned.

"Duh. You always act surprised at my genius," Penelope grinned back and disconnected.

"Your computer tech seems awfully sure of herself," a deputy sneered from his chair.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Derek's hackles were instantly raised.

"Nothing, just how she got Boles kicked out of the investigation like nothing. He has a right to be here. She doesn't."

"She has every right to be here. She is a well-respected and talented FBI agent."

"She saved my life," Reid stood up. "She shot someone to save me."

"What?"

"It's true. I was shot a few years ago in a shootout. While I was in the hospital recovering someone tried to finish the job by putting something in my IV. She took my gun and shot the guy."

"I... I thought she was just a tech," the depury stuttered, his face turning bright red.

"She is not 'just' anything. She is the best computer expert in the FBI and you're damn lucky she's here helping your department. Like us, she is here for the victims and their families and to catch a murderer. I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself and help us catch the killer," Hotch said as he and Rossi entered the room. "Now, what can you tell us about these men?" He swiped his tablet a few times before stopping at a page partitioned into three pictures.

* * *

"Thank you for calling the Room of Requirement. Speak to me, Muggle!" was what Morgan heard when he called Penelope.

Morgan smiled at the reference. Thanks to her, he had read the Harry Potter series and watched every movie. "Hey, Professor Baby Girl, I'm on the way up. Want to get out of that room for awhile? Everyone is meeting at the pizza shop for dinner."

"Sounds good. Let yourself in while I freshen up," she chirped. She released the door's bar guard and went to touch up her makeup. She heard the door open as she was applying her mascara. A spritz of perfume later and she was ready.

"Damn," she muttered as she heard an alert signaling one of her searches was finished.

"Let me get this copied down and I'll be ready," she announced as she went to her mobile system. She penned a few notes and shut down the computers.

She turned around and saw Derek sitting on his bed, grinning at her. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing... just admiring the view," he got up and held out his hand.

"Like what you see?" she teased as she put her hand in his.

"You look divine, as always."

* * *

"I'd like the Herbivore's Delight in a sandwich, please." Penelope said to the server.

"And I'll have the Carnivore's Delight sandwich," Morgan said. He passed the menus over. "What did you guys get?" he asked when the server left.

"I got the "Philly Cheesesteak." JJ said.

"I got the "Grilled Cheese," Kate said.

"I got the "The Soprano," Rossi rolled his eyes when they chuckled at his choice. "C'mon, it sounds amazing."

"Well, I got "The Cartman." Reid cleared his throat. "I assume it's a reference like some of the other names." Penelope managed to keep a straight face when she explained who Cartman was while the others tried and failed to not laugh.

"What did you get, Boss Man?" Penelope asked.

"I, uh, got "The Tearjerker," Hotch said. "The sheriff said this place is the best. They can make any pizza on their menu into a sandwich."

"I personally love the names they chose. They're clever." Penelope breathed in dramatically. "And if they taste as good as they smell, I want a bite of everyone's!" she announced as everyone was served their sandwiches.

Penelope shared the newest search results, which aided the victimology. The others discussed what they learned and went over everything against the profile. They each had a bite of everyone else's sandwich and loved it all.

"Garcia, what happened yesterday?" Reid asked after they were finished with their food.

Penelope shot a dirty look to Derek and Hotch. "Nothing happened," she said.

"If someone hurt you, we need to know," Rossi said.

"Nobody hurt me, OK?" she snapped. "I'm fine."

"Garcia, what did you think of Deputy Boles, before and after last night?" JJ asked.

"JJ..." Derek warned.

"Hear me out, Morgan," JJ replied.

"I thought he was a creep. It felt like someone was ways staring but when I would look up his head was always down. Just... unpleasant. And after, I know he's a sexist, egotistical, narcissistic creep with a huge chip on his shoulder," she blurted out. "Wow... I just sounded like a profiler just now."

"Damn, Baby Girl... you act like that's a bad thing." Derek clutched his heart while grinning like an imp.

"Shut up, Morgan," Penelope laughed and threw her napkin at him.

"We've all dealt with locals who try to intimidate us," Kate said.

"Really?" Penelope replied.

"Yep," she said and the others agreed.

"Garcia, I want you to check him out first thing in the morning," Hotch ordered.

"Yes, sir. General fishing expedition?" she inquired as she pulled her notebook out of her purse.

"Yeah." Hotch nodded. "Look for anything... unusual. Use your profile and work with it."

"O...K..." Penelope chose to ignore the fact that she had successfully profiled someone.

Rossi insisted on paying look everyone's meals and Penelope had already written a positive review on Yelp by the time they were ready to leave.

* * *

Penelope was silent in the SUV on the way back to the hotel. Derek knew she was mad and didn't know why. She seemed to be in a good mood at the restaurant. She ignored his offer for help and stomped up the stairs and let herself in their room.

Derek followed her and put the bar guard in place while she rummaged around in her suitcase.

"Garcia, what's wrong?" he asked helplessly when she lobbed some pajamas onto her bed.

"I asked you not to say anything," Penelope shouted when she straightened up.

"Baby Girl, the team was wondering where you were this morning. Hotch told them that a deputy was inappropriate and that you didn't want anyone to make a fuss and that it was taken care of. That's all. And I was not going to sit around and let that creep take advantage of you. I know his type. He's probably been doing crap like that since the day they gave him a badge. Now that his boss knows hopefully he'll stop."

"Stop treating me like a victim," she yelled and sat on the edge of her bed.

"I'm trying not to, Sweetheart. I need to confess something." He dropped to his knees in front of her.

"I didn't tell Hotch just for you. You're a federal agent. He was harassing you. Imagine what he's like with civilians. Now that his boss is aware of his actions hopefully he'll stop him if he's stupid enough to do it again."

"You're right. Of course you're right. I just didn't want my issues with a local creep to distract you from the case but a predator like him needed to be stopped." Penelope took her shoes off and tossed them in her suitcase

"Why are you mad?" he asked.

"I'm not," she scoffed.

Derek raised an eyebrow. "Really? I just witnessed shoe abuse from Penelope Garcia and she tells me she's not mad."

"God, I frackin' hate profilers!" she mumbled as she got up and rested her forehead against the wall.

"You do not," Derek couldn't help but smile at the dis and turned her around to face him. "Spill."

"This was my first non-tech-related case and look what happened!" she cried.

"We're close to finding the UNSUB! We have our profile out and it's only a matter of time before we find him."

"I was a distraction!"

"How distracted do you think I'd be if you were home while..." Derek trailed off. "I'm happy you're here... with me." He closed the distance between them and framed her face with his hands.

"Derek..." she whispered as she gazed up at him.

"Yes, Baby Girl?" he murmured as he brought a hand up under her hair.

"I'm afraid," she confessed.

"Do you think I'd hurt you?" he asked.

"Not deliberately, no," Penelope said. "But it'll happen." She put her hands to his shoulders and gently pushed him away. She turned away and walked to towards the en suite.

"Penelope, why do you think I'd hurt you?" he asked.

She paused but refused to turn around. "You'll want to change me. I'm too opinionated, too stubborn, and too independent. I refuse to change my ways and have inevitably lost everyone I've ever loved. They leave me and I'm left alone trying to mend my broken heart. I don't think I could handle losing you."

"Baby Girl, you are perfect just the way you are. You're the smartest woman I've ever known. You're beautiful and sexy and sweet." He walked over and turned her to face him. "But it's in here," he put his hand on her chest above her breast, "you have the purest and kindest heart. Even today, you cared more about the victims than yourself.

I don't want you to change. I love your opinions and your independence. I even love your stubbornness. I won't try to change you and I won't let you change. I will never leave you."

"Derek..."

"I want you, Penelope. Even if you don't want me, I will always love and want you." Derek leaned down and gently brushed his lips against hers.

"Derek...?"

"Yeah...?"

"I want you, too."

* * *

Penelope sighed in contentment as Derek brought her closer until her cheek rested on his bare chest. "Whoa," she whispered.

"I agree, Baby Girl," Derek grinned. He had been dreaming of making Penelope his since the day he learned who she was and he was not disappointed. It was like they were made for each other.

"Go to sleep," he ordered as he pulled the blanket over them.

"K..." Penelope moaned, already half asleep.

"I love you, Baby Girl," he whispered into her hair as he kissed her head.

"Hmm..." she replied. He breathing regulated and Derek knew she had fallen asleep. He tried to settle his thoughts and relax his muscles. His last conscious thought was of curiosity. He wondered how she was able to blend the two very different smells of her shampoo and her perfume to create a perfect harmony of notes that invaded his senses.

* * *

 **A/N: Shameless plug: The pizza/sandwich shop is real and exists in my little dot on the map. The names are real and what I would think the characters would choose out of the many, many offerings. My personal favorite is Grilled Cheese and my husband's is Carnivore's Delight.**

 **Herbivore's Delight: mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, green peppers, banana peppers, black olives, tomato sauce.**

 **Carnivore's Delight: Sausage, pepperoni, bacon, ham, tomato sauce.**

 **Philly Cheesesteak: steak, green peppers, onions, mushrooms, alfredo sauce.**

 **Grilled Cheese: cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, alfredo sauce.**

 **The Soprano: Italian sausage, salami, pepperoni, onion, banana peppers, tomato sauce.**

 **The Tearjerker: Spicy sausage, salami, pepperoni, jalapeños, taco sauce.**

 **The Cartman: 18 toppings. Pretty much everything above and them some with tomato sauce.**

 **A/N2: Damn. Last minute editing and this is making me hungry. I ended up getting a molar and two wisdom teeth pulled on Monday. The accident bruised the hell out of my face and broke the molar. I had some really bad headaches and we decided to pull all three at once since the wisdoms were impacted. They had to put me under and apparently I was funny when coming out of anesthesia. I had a conversation about CM with my husband and the dental assistant that I don't remember. I still feel like crap and look like I'm storing for winter.**

 **Thanks for the love,**

 **Pita(the stoned chipmunk)Cake**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or the characters. Some "guest stars" are based on or named after people in my life while others are totally made up, as are some places and events.**

* * *

Chapter 14

Penelope opened her eyes suddenly. She was momentarily confused by her surroundings before remembering where she was. And with whom. She gasped as the previous night's events came flooding back. She turned slightly to gaze at the sleeping form of her best friend. _It should be illegal to be that sexy_ , she mused. As much as she wanted to burrow back under the covers, a more pressing need was making itself known. She felt all over the nightstand for her glasses but gave up when she realized they weren't there. Sighing, she got up and made a beeline for the en-suite, praying she wouldn't crash into any obstacles on the way.

She finished and walked back to the bed. She found her glasses on the other side of Derek's pillow and donned them. She watched as her best friend murmured incoherently and stretched his arm to the empty half of the bed. He patted the mattress as if searching for something. She shivered in the cool room and gently moved his arm before sliding back into the bed. She turned to her side and Derek immediately brought his arm back over, pulling her close and burying his face in her hair. She took her glasses off and put them on the nightstand before closing her eyes and going back to sleep.

When she woke up again, sunlight was breaking through the split in the curtains. She smiled as she felt Derek's arm still wrapped around her. She put her glasses on and got up to begin the day.

Penelope was in the shower, rinsing out her hair, completely unaware that she had an audience. "Hey, you," Derek growled in her ear.

"Ahhh!" Penelope screeched, lashing out and hitting Derek in the face.

"Ow!" Derek grabbed his face and backed out of the shower. Penelope wiped the soap and water out of her eyes before whipping the curtain aside.

"Jee-sus, Derek! Way to try and give a girl heart failure!" she scolded. Her heart was still racing and she squinted, trying to see what he was doing. He had his back to her and was hunched over the sink. "Hot Stuff? Are you all right?"

"Yeah," Derek replied. He turned around and she saw he was holding a bloody wad of tissue to his nose.

"Oh, my God! Did I bloody your nose?" she cried.

"It's all right, Baby. Finish what you're doing."

* * *

'Are you sure you're OK, Handsome?" Penelope asked for the fourth time as Derek tied his shoes.

"Yes, Baby Girl, I'm fine. It's not even sore." Derek grinned at her. "I did learn not to sneak up on you, especially in the shower."

"Yeah, the combination of the job plus the whole horror movie genre makes me a little paranoid." She finished putting on her own shoes and stood up. Derek stared as she deliberately messed up her bed. She looked up and caught Derek staring... again. "What?" she asked, exasperated yet amused.

"Nothing. I like looking at you. Since when is that a crime?" Derek asked.

"Since..." She trailed off and blushed. "You're a profiler, Hot Stuff, and we work with a bunch more. You keep doing that and it'll only take them point-two seconds to figure it out."

"Don't you want people to know about us?" he asked.

"No! I mean, not yet... I mean... I don't know," she stuttered and looked down at the floor.

"Are you ashamed of me?"

Penelope whipped her head up and looked into his eyes. She was surprised to see fear and insecurity in those deep brown orbs. "Of course I'm not ashamed! I'm just... confused. I'd like to know what exactly 'us' is before even thinking about telling anyone and giving the bird to the frat rules... again."

"Hence the bed..."

"Yep. This is a small town and gossip is a hobby. I learned that all-too-well from that arson case in Indiana. A housekeeper sees what she thinks is out-of-town FBI agents shacking up and it won't take long before everyone knows and Hotch will find out..." she rambled.

"Hey, pump your brakes, woman." Derek crouched down on the floor in front of her. "There's nothing I'd like more than climbing to the roof of this town's tallest building and telling the world how I feel about you. But I respect you and won't do anything that makes you uncomfortable. _I'm not Kevin_ , he thought to himself. "When you're ready to tell them, I'll be right there by your side."

"Thanks, my delicious cup of hot chocolate." She grinned coyly at him. She laughed when he dove at her and pinned her down on the bed.

"What you do to me..." he growled in her ear a day began a trail of kisses from her earlobe to her throat.

"Der... Hot Stu... Oh, my... " she could neither form a complete sentence nor think a rational thought. It was like he had honed in on a direct channel to her libido. She allowed him to nuzzle her head to the side and her eyes rolled back into her head as she made mewing sounds of pleasure.

"Damn, Baby. Keep doing that and we'll never leave this room," Derek whispered.

"Then we better go before they send out a search party," she whispered back. The longing in her voice made him wish more than ever that they were back home in Quantico instead of UNSUB hunting in Michigan.

* * *

"Hey, Buddy, check her out," the younger of the two men sitting in an old truck parked across the street pointed excitedly at the buxom blonde as she exited out of the black SUV. She walked with a group of men and women dressed in business attire into the café.

"Jeez, Freddy, remember how we talked about subtlety?" the older man snapped. "Don't point and keep your damn voice down!"

"Sorry, Buddy. She's just so... different," Freddy replied.

Buddy looked over at his little brother with interest. "Different in a good way or a bad way?" he asked.

"Good. Very good. I like her more than the others," Freddy grinned mischievously.

"Well, see how she talks and stuff. Do like you do. Get to know her." Buddy gestured towards the café.

"I thought we were going to have breakfast together," Freddy whined.

"Sorry, Bro. Gotta go to work extra early today," Buddy lied. "I'll see you back at home later," he added as Freddy exited the truck, grumbling under his breath.

* * *

"Garcia, what's wrong?" Hotch asked as they waited for their food. They were talking quietly about the case and he wasn't the only one who noticed that the technical analyst had looked up and scanned the room several times in the short amount for time they'd been there, but he was the first to ask her about it.

"I don't know, Bossman. I keep feeling like someone is watching me, but every time I look up to see everyone's going on about their business," Penelope explained.

"Maybe you're still a little on-edge from Boles," Kate suggested as the team silently profiled the small restaurant's occupants.

"Maybe, I don't know."

"Maybe I should stay with you in the room today," Derek offered.

Penelope scoffed. "Don't be silly. What could possibly happen? I have no intentions of leaving the hotel room unless I'm taking a break with you guys, anyway."

* * *

 _3 Days Later_

The team was frustrated, to say the least. They had to adjust the profile again when another body had washed up and like the others, there wasn't any forensic or trace evidence left behind. The team spent most of their time trying to identify the body. Like the last victims, this one did not have an ID or anything on her person. The only identifying feature was a tattoo of a butterfly on her upper back. Nobody in a five-hundred mile perimeter had filed a missing persons report for someone matching her description so Penelope expanded her search nationwide. Still no dice.

The uneasy feeling followed Penelope every time she left the room. The team tried to keep her at ease, especially Derek. Every night he showed her how much he loved her. He was a most skillful lover. He always seemed to know what she needed without her asking. During the day he was a perfect gentleman, aside from their usual phone flirting banter. If the team suspected the change in their relationship, they didn't say anything.

"Don't those goons ever leave her alone?" Buddy grumbled as they watched the black FBI agent wrap his arm protectively around the blonde tech's shoulders as they walked into the hotel. They waited about ten minutes until the agent walked back out the way he came and drove off in his SUV.

"She's alone now," Freddy said.

"No shit, Sherlock. How do you think you're going to get into her room?"

"I dunno." Freddy shrugged. "Get them away from her, somehow."

"That's it!" Buddy said excitedly. He put his truck into drive. "Let's go."

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry I've been slacking. I'm back to work and working on the biggest project I've ever done. This will replenish the savings we spent when I wasn't working this winter and then some. I'm teaching one day and two evenings a week until the end of May. Still looking for a new house and may have found one. Canada was fun although it rained and snowed most of the time and Hubby wouldn't let me pout too much over the show. The baby was born three weeks ago and she's perfect. Trying to get past everything but my heart is hurting for all of the "what-ifs."**

 **Thanks for reading,**

 **PitaCake**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or the characters. Some "guest stars" are based on or named after people in my life while others are totally made up, as are some places and events.**

* * *

Chapter 15

"Hello!" Penelope said when one of her computers rang an alert as soon as she booted them up.

"What, Baby?" Derek asked. He was searching for something in his bag before taking off for the day.

"I flagged our Jane Doe so if someone matching her description shows up on any missing person database I'd know right away. I even added Canada's lists since we're not far away from the border," Penelope explained.

"You found her?" Derek walked over quickly, reading over her shoulder. He grabbed Penelope's phone and clicked Hotch's speed dial.

"Garcia?" Hotch greeted.

"Hey, Hotch, it's Morgan. You're on speaker. Garcia found something. Looks like someone's finally missing our latest victim," Derek said.

"Who is she, Garcia? Was she just reported missing?

Penelope's hands flew as she clicked away on her keyboard and a report and picture popped up on the screen. "Her name is Stephanie McGuire and she is a nature and wildlife photographer-slash-writer for a magazine out of California. Her editor reported her missing when she failed to make a deadline and never called him. Actually, she was reported missing late last night."

"Are you sure it's her?"

"Stand by... Yeah. I just pulled up her social media accounts." She clicked on and blew up a picture of her tattoo and pulled up the picture of Jane Doe's tattoo next to it. "I just sent you some pictures. The tattoos match."

"Thanks, Garcia."

* * *

Hotch had just finished talking to Stephanie's boyfriend several hours later. He had explained that it wasn't unusual for Stephanie to go several days without calling. She often stayed where she was shooting, afraid to miss a moment, and a lot of the places she went didn't have cell reception. She was responsible and almost never missed a deadline and if she did she always called and explained why. He was worried and twenty-four hours past her deadline he filed the missing persons report. His alibi checked out and his obvious grief eliminated him as a suspect fairly quickly.

The sheriff walked in and approached the two agents. "Got another one," he sighed. "She washed up near Michiana, which is some 250 miles south, less than a mile from the Michigan-Indiana border."

"Were they missing a toe?" Derek asked. The sheriff nodded.

Derek was just about to reply when his phone rang.

"Hey, Baby Girl," he greeted.

"Bad news, Chocolate Drop. Another body has washed up on one of Michigan's beaches," she sighed.

"I know. The sheriff just told us. What can you tell us about her?"

"She's blonde, early-to-mid-thirties, no ID, looks to have been in the water at least twenty-four hours. Still running prints but if she's like the others, she won't be in the system... what the...?" she trailed off as another alert popped up. "Damn. There's another one. Opposite side of the state, near the border to Indiana"

"I'm putting you on speaker." Derek hit the button on his phone. "There's _two_ new bodies, is that right?"

"Yes. The one I was talking about was found at Sterling State Park on Lake Erie. The second one was found on the beach of Michiana on Lake Michigan."

"That's the one the sheriff was telling us about," Derek sighed.

"Dave, you, Kate, and Reid go to Sterling State Park. Morgan, JJ, and I will go to Michiana. Garcia, stay here. Hopefully we'll be back tonight or early tomorrow," Hotch ordered.

"Ten-Forty, Bossman," Penelope replied.

* * *

"I don't like it," Derek grumbled as he knelt down next to the body.

"What's that?" JJ asked as she studied the Michiana shoreline.

"This whole thing. Why did he go way out of his comfort zone this time? And twice on the same day, on opposite sides of the state."

"Maybe he felt we were close to catching him," Hotch suggested.

"Maybe." Derek didn't sound enthusiastic about the idea.

"We're minutes from the border. Maybe he's trying to throw us off-track and have us thinking he's traveling around," JJ frowned.

"Garcia," Hotch greeted as she called him a few hours later.

"Hey, I got everyone here. This is getting weirder and weirder. The woman found in Michiana is in the system."

"Wow, that was fast," Derek replied.

"Can't take the credit for this, Dreamy D. It's easy to match prints when the victim is a state employee. Her name is Gayle Iffert and she is in fact a Department of Natural Resources officer and her current post is Sterling State Park."

"Was she supposed to be working yesterday and today?" Reid asked.

"Yes, according to her supervisor. Based on the ME's preliminary report she would have been on duty when she was killed."

"Any word on our other victim?" Rossi asked.

"Not a peep, Sir. I'm still spelunking away."

"Thanks, Garcia," Hotch said and she disconnected. He still had Rossi, Reid, and Kate on the line.

"So, he took Officer Iffert from Sterling and dumped her across the state to Michiana then took the other victim and dumped her in Sterling," Kate mused.

"Why would he take a DNR officer?" Morgan demanded as he paced. "He's careful. So far none of his victims have been in the system and are found before they are reported as missing. Why change that now?"

"Maybe he didn't have a choice," Hotch suggested.

"Maybe she witnessed him dumping the other victim at Sterling, then brought her here to throw us off the track."

"There are houses up and down this whole beach," JJ added. "The town itself is not big. Someone would have noticed a stranger dumping a body on their shore. Beach overcrowding isn't going to be an issue this late into the year."

"Yes, but fall is one of the best times for fishing," Reid said as he stared back and forth at two blown-up maps, one of the state's Lake Michigan coast and the other a picture of its Lake Erie coast. "The fish feel the water cooling and instinctively start eating more in preparation for winter."

"So it's not unusual to see boats all over the lake," Rossi grumbled.

"I bet he started out here, at Warren Dunes State Park," Reid said and drew a line in red ink from Michiana to Warren Dunes. "If the boat traveled an average of forty miles per hour he could get there and back in under an hour."

Hotch pulled his phone out and hit speed dial. "You have reached the temporary office of the FBI's Baroness of Badassery-ness. State your business Bossman o'mine," Penelope greeted.

"Hey, Garcia. Does Michigan keep a record of those who keep boat slips at the state parks?"

"Err... Let's see... Yes sir, they do... and yikes! That's a hella long list."

"Filter out non-residents. Start with citizens of Traverse City with slips at either Warren Dunes or Sterling and work your way out. Then find out if those people have pulled their boats in for the season."

"This is going to take awhile but fret not my friends. Garcie out."

Derek sat down heavily in a chair. "Maybe it's a copycat."

"But the press hasn't been notified of the signature," Hotch replied.

* * *

Derek was dozing in his motel room. He had just got done Skyping with Penelope and he made her sign off when she spent more time yawning than talking. It was the first night in weeks he was alone and he missed her. For the first time in his life he felt like he could grow old with somebody. He knew that he had always been holding out for Penelope. Every girl he'd dated, slept with, hell... even _looked_ at he would compare to her. The reveal of their hidden past was liberating in me ways than one and he felt like he could finally express his true feelings for her.

Even though he knew she was safe and there was no way Montgomery and Ford could know where they were, he still didn't like leaving her alone. He always believed in instincts. He'd interviewed so many perps, witnesses, and victims to not believe in them. He thought about how uneasy she felt when she left their motel room. It had rubbed off on him and he had spent more time looking over his shoulder than he ever had before.

He sat up in bed suddenly. _Why did the UNSUB hunt so far from his comfort zone?_ They had asked this question over and over all day. It was glaringly obvious now. The two bodies so far apart meant that the team would have to split up to profile the crime scenes before the natural elements compromised any possible evidence further. The team divided up and left their one unarmed agent alone in the middle of the UNSUB's comfort zone.

Derek was out of the bed in a flash. He stuffed his keys, knife, wallet, and credentials into his pockets before strapping on his gun and holster. He grabbed his phone and go-bag, glad he'd been so eager to Skype with his Baby Girl that he hadn't bothered unpacking anything or even changing clothes when they had finally called it a night. He hit Hotch's corresponding speed dial number as he hurried from the room.

By the time he was done explaining his theory to his boss, Derek had already reached their fleet of government-issued SUVs and was inputting his destination into the GPS. He thought about calling or texting Penelope while he was speeding away but he didn't want to to scare or worry her. He turned on the siren and pressed the gas pedal down further. _I'll text her when I'm close so she won't be scared out of her sleep when I knock_ , he decided.

* * *

"Where were you all day and night?" Freddy whined as Buddy walked into the house.

"I found someone," Buddy shrugged.

"WHAT?" Freddy roared. "You found someone... a doll... and played with her without me?!"

"Freddy, listen to me," Buddy gulped as his brother stalked closer to him. "I had to."

"Aghhh!" Freddy roared and started throwing random objects against the walls.

"Fred, stop it!" Buddy grabbed a heavy glass paperweight out of his brother's hand before he could throw it.

"No! You promised... you _promised_ that you wouldn't leave me out ever again! You lied to me!" Freddy started to cry as his anger dissipated into hurt. He sank to the floor and buried his face in his knees.

"Do you want the FBI lady or not?" Buddy shouted back.

Freddy looked up from his position on the floor. "You know I do," he sniffed.

"Her friends are gone."

"Huh?"

"I went far away and got rid of the dolls I found. The FBI people went there and left the one you like here."

"You did that for me?" Freddy smiled slightly.

"Of course. I knew they would go away for the night to see the dolls. I knew that was the only way to get her by herself. I know you wanted her so bad." Buddy smiled back.

"How are we going to get her?" Freddy asked excitedly.

* * *

Penelope was restless. She missed sleeping next to Derek and couldn't shut her mind off. The case was going nowhere and she was over it. She wasn't a profiler but she could tell the case was getting to her team of superheroes as well.

She was sound asleep when a loud ringing sound filled the room. _Fire alarm_ , she thought as she quickly donned her house shoes and robe. She peaked out of her door and saw several people leaving their rooms. She grabbed her purse and checked to see if her keycard was there before evacuating.

The fire trucks arrived just as Penelope exited the building. She shivered in the cool air and checked her phone: 2:12am. Way too late to call her Hot Stuff. She sat on the ground against a tree and waited impatiently for the fire department to to give the all-clear. She played a game on her tablet while she waited and was exhausted forty-five minutes later when the fire chief announced that it was a false alarm. She rose from her position on the ground but froze when she felt a hand on her arm. She slowly turned and saw a man holding her purse. He smiled as he held it out for her. "Don't forget your bag, ma'am," he said. She could tell he was mildly mentally challenged.

"Thank you," she said and took back her purse. The man nodded and ran off into the hotel.

She walked with the last group of guests into the hotel and put the bar guard in place before removing her robe and shoes. She sighed when she got under the warm covers. Her eyelids began to droop and she was asleep in a minute.

The feel of a hand over mouth woke her up instantly. The urge to fight back was quelled when she felt the blade of a knife at her throat. "Scream and I'll cut you," a vaguely-familiar voice whispered in her ear. He shoved her over on her stomach and pushed the blanket and sheet away. She gasped and whipped her head around when her phone chimed its text tone.

* * *

 **A/N: Woke up this morning sick as a dog. Instead of going to the American Ninja Warrior filming like I wanted I'm stuck in bed sipping chicken broth and tea and writing more than I have in the past month. At least y'all can reap the benefits of my misery. Enjoy!**

 **XOXO,**

 **Pita(slept 14 hours and still exhausted)Cake**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or the characters. Some "guest stars" are based on or named after people in my life while others are totally made up, as are some places and events.**

* * *

Chapter 16

Penelope reached her hand out to grab her phone and her heart plummeted when her attacker swatted the phone off the nightstand, then climbed on top of her, straddling her. He moved the knife away from her throat before grabbing her wrists and pulling them behind her back. His hands were huge and easily encompassed and subdued both of hers in one of his. She cringed when she felt his other hand stroke her head before lifting strands of her hair and sniffing them loudly. "You're so pretty and you smell so good," he cooed in her ear. "Like strawberries." He traced a large finger over her cheek. "It's even softer than it looks," he sighed.

Penelope and her attacker both froze when they heard the unmistakable click of a keycard as the lock accepted it. Penelope opened her mouth to scream but her attacker grabbed a handful of her hair, pushed her face into the pillows and held her in place. She kicked out wildly as her air was cut off.

The door opened but was stopped short by the bar guard. "Baby Girl, it's me. Let me in," Derek called through the crack.

Penelope continued to struggle and moved her head furiously, ignoring her burning scalp. "Derek, help!" she screamed as her attacker lost his grip on her hair. She immediately felt his weight leave and heard a bang as Derek kicked open the door.

"FBI, don't move," he yelled. He saw Penelope scramble off the bed and her attacker ignoring his order and continuing to try and open the window. Derek ran over and grabbed him and ducked when the attacker swung his fists blindly. Derek kicked the attacker's knee from his crouching position, then tackled him as his leg gave out. "Stay down," he yelled. The man elbowed Derek on the ribs and limped toward the splintered door. Derek tackled the attacker and hit him on the face until he stopped struggling. He checked his pulse and determining that the attacker was just knocked out, he pulled out his handcuffs and cuffed his hands behind his back.

* * *

"I finally got her to sleep," Derek said from the hallway. The hotel management had helped move their things to a new room while the LEOs took his and Penelope's statements and the EMTs checked her over.

"Good," Hotch said. "How is she?"

"Scared. Pissed off. The EMTs said she's OK. He pulled her hair and pushed her face into the pillow so she wouldn't scream and cut off her air but it was only for a few seconds. He bruised her wrists, too."

"We'll be there in a couple of hours. Get some sleep if you can."

They rest of the team all returned to Traverse City shortly after dawn. They decided to let Penelope and Derek sleep some more and went to their respective rooms to rest.

Derek woke up a short time later to the sounds of keys clicking. He rubbed his eyes to clear the sleep and cobwebs away and saw Penelope turning on her babies.

"Sweetness, come back to bed," he said.

"I can't sleep, D. I want to get this done and go home." Her voice cracked a little. "Sorry if I woke you."

"Hey." He scrambled out of the bed and over to her. He gathered her in his arms and she wept against his shoulder. "You're safe now, Baby Girl," he murmured.

"What if you hadn't been there, Derek? I would've... You... You would've found me dead on some beach!" she cried.

"But I was there! I knew something wasn't right and came back to you," he soothed. He kissed the bruises on her wrists.

"My hero," she sighed. "I may not be a field agent but I do know that... he... was watching me. He was at the café every morning and at the little park next to the hotel." She shuddered. "He was there last night during the false alarm."

Derek gritted his teeth as kissed her head. He felt her relax and saw she had fallen asleep again. He picked her up from her chair and brought her back to bed. He fell into a fitful sleep with his arms holding his love close to his heart. Something was still bugging him and he was going to figure out what it was before something else happened to his Baby Girl.

* * *

"He couldn't have done this alone. He doesn't have the discipline, patience, or smarts to pull off this kind of forensic countermeasure," Derek said as he paced about the sheriff's department conference room. He had just left Penelope in JJ's capable hands in their room.

"I might have your answer," the sheriff said as he joined them. "The hotel just sent over the surveillance footage from last night."

"Send the footage to Garcia," Hotch ordered. The sheriff nodded and left.

"Hotch..." Derek warned.

"Morgan, Garcia needs this. She thinks she needs to prove something to us, which she doesn't. She needs to prove it to herself."

Derek sighed and nodded as they waited for Penelope to call back.

"Hey, Mama. Whatcha' got for us?" Morgan greeted and switched the phone to speaker a little while later.

"Hey... during the evacuation someone snuck in and stole the extra keycard from the front desk. He kept his back to the cameras and it appears he knew exactly where they're kept. He didn't hesitate or anything. He was in and out; he was there and gone in twenty seconds," Penelope said. "I also ran his dimensions through my newly-updated Digital Perspective Analysis Rendering software. The person who stole the key card is not the person that is in custody."

"We've IDd the perp that broke into the hotel room" the sheriff announced as he entered the conference room. "His name is Fred Watters. He lives with his brother outside of town."

"Do you know the brother? Could he be an accomplice?" Reid asked.

"Yes, I do know him and yes, he could very well be helping his brother," the sheriff growled.

"What aren't you saying?" Derek asked.

"His brother is Buddy Boles."

Kate paused. "Boles? As in..."

"Deputy Boles," the sheriff finished for her. Derek flinched at Penelope's audible gasp.

"That would definitely explain the sophisticated forensic countermeasures,' Rossi said.

"When is his next scheduled shift?" Hotch demanded.

The sheriff hesitated. "I suspended him for the duration of this case. I don't believe his altercation with Agent Garcia was his first quarrel with a woman but it was the first I could prove. Nobody would make a formal complaint so there was nothing I could do. I was planning on terminating him after you all left. Harassing a federal agent is unacceptable and I will not put up with that kind of behavior in my department."

"Damn," Derek swore. He could be anywhere. "JJ, Garcia, do not leave that hotel room."

"I just sent you all everything I've found on him," Penelope announced. "I'm running his dimensions now and... he's a match. Address has been sent to your phones."

"Let's go," Hotch ordered.

* * *

"You did great work, Garcia," Hotch praised. "Your profile helped determine that Boles was a willing participant in the abductions and murders. We had more than enough to arrest him on the spot. The toes we found in the freezer and the boat slip information were enough to link both of the brothers to all the murders." The team was on their way back to Quantico after wrapping up with the LEOs.

"It just doesn't seem right," Penelope mused as she knitted a new hat for baby Michael.

"What's that?" Derek asked.

"There's not much justice. I mean, Boles helped his mentally-challenged brother kill all those women and we may never know why. Fred is trapped in his own mind. He hasn't said a word after you all told him his brother was dead and we all know he's not competent enough to stand trial. Boles had killed himself before you even got to their house with no explanation as to why they did it."

"We don't always get the answers we want, even if the UNSUBs talk," Rossi said. "We got two killers off the street, one of which was a crooked cop."

"Boles killed himself because he knew he wouldn't last long behind bars. He didn't want his fellow deputies to arrest him, either, and he didn't want to give any of us the option of killing or wounding him. Killing himself was like one last slap in the face," Derek explained.

"He had every intention of blaming his brother and letting him take the fall for all the murders. He made a mistake with targeting you and he knew it as soon as Fred was caught. He let his ego get in the way like a typical narcissist," JJ added.

"Do you think Fred will ever talk?" Penelope asked.

"Maybe." Reid mused, thinking about Adam and Amanda Jackson. "With medication and therapy, he could, but who knows what kinds of things his brother said to him to make him stay quiet?"

* * *

"I think you'll be just fine traveling traveling with us," Hotch said as he and Penelope reviewed the case the next morning. He gave her the files that were to be put into the BAU's records and VICAP.

"Thank you, Sir, but it's just until Montgomery and and Ford are caught. I love you guys but I like being in my lair."

"I'll never be able to convince you to take the profiler classes, will I?" Hotch flashed her one of his rare grins.

"Nope, " she grinned back. "You may have reeled JJ in but not me. I'm a computer nerd and I'm OK being behind the scenes. You guys stick to the profiling and I'll stick to information."

* * *

 **A/N: Wish us luck. Putting in an offer for a house this week. It's everything we're looking for: country, acreage, size, and it's closer to Hubby's work. It'll literally cut down 2/3 of his commute. Plus the price is right.**

 **Pita(so ready to leave this hellhole)Cake**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or the characters. Some "guest stars" are based on or named after people in my life while others are totally made up, as are some places and events.**

* * *

Chapter 17

After they returned home to Virginia, the BAU had three cases back-to-back-to-back. The third case was local so they were able to stay in their own homes at night and Penelope was able to work from her lair. She gained more confidence every day and handled most of the press conferences. The LEOs and local FBI agents would often go out of their way to help her and get what she needed. They were always professional and respectful, leading her to believe that men like Boles were the minority.

During the local case Penelope started to feel poorly. She was exhausted all the time, no matter how well she slept the night before and felt queasy all day. She was also crabby and and had gotten short with Derek several times at home. It seemed like everything and everyone was getting on her nerves.

Penelope was rubbing her temples, trying to will away a migraine while her babies were searching away when someone knocked on the door. "Come in," she yelled at the door, making herself flinch as her head pounded.

Anderson entered, carrying a large insulated cup. "Hey, Garcia. Morgan called me and asked if I could run out and get you a coffee... Are you OK?"

Penelope took one whiff of the steaming brew and turned green. She reached around frantically and grabbed her wastebasket, pulling it up just as her breakfast made an encore performance. She heaved for what felt like forever, even after her stomach was empty. She wasn't even aware that Anderson had stayed, keeping her hair pulled back and rubbing her back, until her throwing up reflex finally settled. She set the basket down and smiled gratefully at Anderson, who released her hair and picked up a box of tissues from the desk. She took one and wiped the tears away.

"Are you alright, Garcia?" he repeated.

"I'm OK," she replied. "I haven't felt good the last few days. I'm so tired and felt like I needed to do that for days, and then, when I smelled that coffee... Oh, my God..."

"Garcia...?" Anderson began as Garcia got up and grabbed her purse.

"I need to run out for a few minutes, Anderson."

"What? Garcia, you're not supposed to leave the building!"

"Dammit," she cursed. She started digging into her purse.

"Anderson, this conversation stays in this room, understand? I need you to do me a huge favor," she said as she pulled a bill out of her wallet.

"Garcia..."

"I need you to run out to the drug store and get me a pregnancy test." She thrust the money into his hand.

"Garcia!"

"I swear, if you tell anyone..."

"I know, I know... the usual disembowelment, embarrassing school pictures, and ruined credit score...," he chuckled. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

* * *

"No," she whispered when she finally looked at the test. There it was, the word 'PREGNANT', bold as brass in the test's tiny window. She stared at the little window and lost all track of time, until her head snapped up. "Oh, crap, the team!" she muttered to herself. She wrapped the test up in a bunch of toilet paper and hid it in her purse before washing her hands and running back to her office.

The phone was ringing when she got back to her office.

"'Lo?" she greeted as soon as she hit the speakerphone button. She didn't even see who was calling.

"Baby Girl, you all right?" Derek asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she laughed it off. "I knew one of these days you all would catch me during a nature call."

"All right..." Derek didn't sound convinced but kept his mouth shut. "We need your beautiful brains."

"Bring it on," she giggled and put on her earpiece. She cracked her knuckles and started typing away as she listened to the team give out perimeters for a new search.

* * *

"What's going on with you?" Derek demanded on their way home for the night. "I tried to call you for over ten minutes and then you basically blew me off."

"I told you, I had to use the loo," she huffed. Her tangled bundle of emotions rivaled that of last year's Christmas lights and she was just now coming to terms that she was going to be a mother. She had been so busy all day she hadn't had time to think about it. She was exhausted, moody, and her stomach still didn't feel right.

"Do you want pizza tonight?" he asked.

"No, I'm not hungry," she replied.

"Baby, you need to eat," he said.

"I said I'm not hungry," she snapped. "I'm not a child, Derek. I will eat when I feel like eating!"

"Baby Girl!"

"Derek, leave me alone!" she cried as they pulled into Derek's driveway. She jumped out, ignoring Derek's calls to wait, and unlocked the door using her key. Derek was right behind her, closing the door and turning off the alarm .

"Penelope..." He grabbed her arm and forced her to turn around.

"Derek, I want to be left alone right now!"

"No, Baby Girl! What's wrong? Did I do something; say something to upset you?" Derek demanded and gripped both of her arms just above the elbows. "Tell me so I can fix it!"

"There's nothing to fix, dammit!" she yelled back. "I'm pregnant!"

Derek gasped and released her arms so quickly she almost lost her balance. "What?" he whispered.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered back.

"I thought you were on the pill," he asked with narrowed eyes.

"I am," she replied. "I wasn't feeling well and then I got sick at the office... wait, do you think I did this on purpose or something?"

"I don't know! I don't know what to think!" he rubbed the back of his head and pinched the bridge of his nose as he paced.

"Well, I didn't, thank you very much! I'm glad you think so highly of my character!" she yelled back. She burst into tears and ran up the stairs, running into the yellow and purple guest room. She closed and locked the door in case he decided to follow her. She was disappointed that she didn't even hear the sound of footsteps on the stairs. She was secretly hoping he would be thrilled at the news: grab her in his arms and kiss her and tell her how happy he was that they created this miracle together. It was totally cliché but it would have been sweet. Instead, he got angry with her and more or less accused her of getting good pregnant on the sly.

She kicked off her shoes and laid on the bed. She caressed her belly and sighed. "It's just you and me, kiddo," she told the baby. She got up and unlocked the door, hoping Derek would come back to her.

* * *

"Way to go, Morgan!" Derek mumbled to himself after Penelope slammed the guest room's door. He went out to grab the mail and waved at his neighbor across the street, who was helping his young son catch lightning bugs. He had a jar in his hand that already looked full of the blinking bugs. The neighbor waved back and laughed at something his son said. He chuckled and went back inside and made a sandwich for himself. As he ate it, he turned on the TV. Nothing, not even ESPN, was keeping his attention longer than a minute. He turned off the TV and made another sandwich. He wrapped it in a paper towel and put it on a plate and took it upstairs. He knocked softly on the guest room door but Penelope didn't answer. He tested the knob and was surprised that it turned. He opened the door and stopped in his tracks. Penelope was asleep on top of the covers with her hand resting on her belly. He didn't want to wake her since he knew how tired she had been so he quietly closed the door and went back downstairs. He put her sandwich in the refrigerator and pulled a pair of gym shorts and a tank from the clothes dryer. He walked down to the basement where he had put in a home gym and changed out of his work clothes. He warmed up by jogging on the treadmill. By the time he was finally winded he was up to a full run. He wasn't paying attention to his time or distance, he just wanted to run so he wouldn't have to think.

He cooled down to a brisk walk before jumping off and approaching the punching bag. He stripped off his shirt and donned his gloves and focused on his technique. It was a series of repetitions he had developed himself and swore by. He used it so much he allowed his mind to finally wander and not throw off his rhythm. _Am I ready to be a father? What kind of father would I be?_ He thought about Buford and he jabbed at the bag, forcing himself to focus on other things. _Mom will be thrilled, and so will Sarah and Desiree. Aunt Yvonne will be so happy. She loves babies_. He pictured a little dark-haired boy that looked like him and a little blonde mini-Penelope. _Penny would be a great mother. She's so smart and sweet and perfect. Any kid would be lucky to have her as its mother. I don't want anyone else having my baby._ My _baby! The baby growing inside her is as much mine as it is hers._ He knew in his heart that she would never sneak around and get knocked up on purpose, especially now. _Now!_ He had completely forgotten that two escaped convicts, both with grudges against them, were still on the loose. "Aghhh!" he yelled out loud. "Son of a bitch! Could this come at a worse time?!" He swung and hit the bag so hard his hand hurt from the impact. He hit the bag over and over and over again, until both of his hands burned. He grabbed the bag and slid down on his knees, gasping for air. He grinned despite his worries. He was going to be a dad and he couldn't be happier. No felons, no crazy UNSUBs, no fraternization rules could shake his happiness. _We're having a baby!_ He rose and wiped the perspiration from his face with a towel before going back upstairs. He owed his Baby Girl a huge apology.

* * *

Penelope woke up with a start. She checked her phone and saw she hadn't been asleep very long. She walked downstairs to find Derek but he wasn't around. She looked and saw light coming from the bottom of the door that led to the basement. She walked down the stairs to tell Derek she was awake and froze when she saw him with his back to her. Perspiration was rolling off his naked back in rivets and she couldn't stop staring as he focused solely on the punching bag. She flinched when he started to hit the bag harder. "Aghhh!" he yelled out suddenly, causing her to jump. "Son of a bitch! Could this come at a worse time?!"

Penelope gasped and made her way back upstairs to the main floor. Tears rolled down her face as she climbed the stairs to the second floor. She got her suitcase out and began putting some of her things into it. _I'll have Derek bring the best of my stuff in the morning,_ she thought sadly as she zipped up the bag. She walked back downstairs and looked around. Derek was still in the basement working out. She was glad. She wasn't going to stick around where her baby wasn't wanted. They were a package deal now and she wasn't going to stay with Derek if he couldn't accept that. She opened the front door and paused. "Goodbye," she whispered to the empty room. She locked then closet he door behind her. She put her suitcase in Esther's backseat and drove off.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for the reviews and support.**

 **Much love,**

 **PitaCake**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or the characters. Some "guest stars" are based on or named after people in my life while others are totally made up, as are some places and events.**

* * *

Chapter 18

Derek put his shirt on while walking up the basement stairs. He turned the lights off and closed the door behind him. The house was dark; night had completely fallen while he was downstairs working out. He turned on a few lights, enough to guide him, and looked around his house. He had moved into another one of his restored houses after he and Savannah had broken up and she had offered to buy their house from him. He sold it to her at cost, which ended up being a sound considering how much the work he had done to it had increased the property value. She argued with him about it but he refused to back down. He thought about moving back to an apartment complex but nixed it almost straightaway. He liked not having to share walls, ceilings, and floors with other people. With the crazy hours that came with the job, peace and quiet were important to him now. He was sure his old neighbors were happy that he was no longer coming and going at any hour of the day and night. He wondered more than once how he'd done it for so long before moving into a house. He also liked having all the space for guests and the home gym and the yard.

For the first time he noticed little feminine touches around: a pink and purple throw across the arm of the couch, a pair of heels next to the staircase, candles... He picked up one of the candles on the coffee table and sniffed it. It smelled like roses. He liked it. He liked having Penelope's things intermingling with his. He loved having her here all the time.

He walked up the stairs, thinking about how to begin to apologize. His behavior toward her was atrocious and he knew she didn't deserve it. Any school kid who had taken Psychology 101 would understand her reaction. She was trying to accept the news herself, the physical changes and hormone surges were difficult enough and then dealing with him acting like a teenager who knocked up his high school girlfriend, she was under an unhealthy amount of stress. He decided to do whatever she wanted; be whoever she needed. He was not going to be a deadbeat dad or boyfriend. He would do anything for his family.

Derek knocked on the yellow and purple room's door. He opened it slightly and softly called out. When she didn't answer he assumed she was still asleep. He opened the door the rest of the way and looked around. The bed was perfectly made; any wrinkles created from Penelope's nap had been smoothed out and the pillows were straightened and plumped up.

He checked the bathrooms, his bedroom, and the other rooms. No Penelope. He walked back downstairs and called out loudly. No answer. Realization dawned on him and he ran back upstairs and opened the guest room's closet. His heart jumped into his throat when he saw not only her suitcase was missing but so were all of the clothes she had had hanging up. He raced downstairs and outside. He panicked when he saw Esther was not there in her usual spot, then ran back inside and grabbed his keys, wallet, knife, and guns. He barely remembered to arm the alarm before he left. He threw the SUV into reverse, then shifted it into drive. He hammered the gas before the vehicle had even switched gears.

* * *

Penelope decided she needed a few things. She spent so much time over the past couple of months on the road with the team and living off of take-out there was very little food in her apartment and she was afraid to find out how much Penicillin was growing in her refrigerator. She was too wound-up to go home yet so she pulled into the parking lot of one of the huge get-everything-here stores that was wise enough to stay open all night for those people that didn't work the traditional 9 to 5.

Penelope walked back to Esther a little while later pushing a cart. The store had been busy and and she was glad to get away from the crowd. She put her grocery bags in the trunk and debated on opening the top for the drive home. It was unseasonably warm but she then remembered that rain was in the forecast, so she decided to keep the top closed.

Penelope drove back to her apartment and was just turning into the parking lot when she felt a bump from behind and Esther was pushed forward. She looked in the rearview mirror and saw the car behind her turned on its hazard lights. _Perfect_ , she thought. _That's all I need right now, a stupid fender bender._

She pulled into her usual space, unbuckled her seat belt, and grasped the door handle. The car that hit her pulled up directly behind her, then turned on its high beams, flooding Esther with light and blinding Penelope. She brought her free hand up to her face and shut her eyes tightly. The door was jerked from her hand and she felt someone yank her out of the car by her arm and fling her to the ground. She tried to get to her feet and cried out slightly when she felt something smash against her head. She fell back down as pain engulfed her and unconsciousness claimed her.

* * *

Derek drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and racked his brain trying to figure out where Penelope might have gone. He tried her apartment first, then the recreation center where her support group met. He drove by JJ's house, then Spencer's, then Kate's, then Hotch's. He did not spot the big orange Cadillac anywhere. He parked down the street from Rossi's, knowing he wouldn't be able to see the driveway clearly from the street and did not want to raise suspicions. He flipped through his contacts, then stared at his phone for a full minute before hitting the "call" button.

"Hey, Derek," Rossi answered his end enthusiastically.

"Hey, Rossi. Have you, uh... Penelope wouldn't happen to be with you, would she?" Derek stuttered.

Rossi paused. "No. I haven't seen her since this afternoon. You guys left before I did. What's going on?"

"We got into a fight and I went downstairs to work out. When I came back up to apologize, she was gone and so was most of her clothes and her car," Derek explained. "I can't find her anywhere and I'm worried."

"Give me five minutes."

Four minutes later the gate was opened and Rossi ran through and jumped into Derek's SUV.

"Where have you looked?" he demanded as he buckled his seat belt. He looked over at the younger man who was staring at the rear view mirror. "Derek?"

"Huh?" Derek blinked and tore his eyes away.

"Where have you looked?" Rossi repeated as he pulled out his phone, pressed a few buttons, then held it to his ear.

"Her house, the rec center, Hotch's, Kate's, JJ's, Reid's, and here..."

"Have you called anyone?"

"No, you're the first."

"Damn, her phone keeps ringing, then going to voicemail." Rossi swore.

"Same here," Derek sighed. "Wait. The first time I called it went to voicemail after two rings."

"She rejected that call," Rossi frowned when he saw Derek was staring into space again. "Derek! Where's your head at?"

Derek had reached his hand out to play with the air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror. "She bought me this. We went to the mall awhile back after her car was finally fixed. She claimed it smelled like grease and oil so she went to the candle store and got some of these. She bought some for me, too. I like this one."

"I pegged you as a 'New Car' or 'Pine Tree' guy."

"You'd be right. That's what I usually choose, if I even remember. But I like this 'Salted Caramel' one. She knew I'd like it. Are you going to ask what our fight was about?"

"No."

"'No?'"

"It's none of my business. Let's just find her. Go back to everywhere you've already been. Maybe she was just driving around."

"Right." Derek shifted into drive.

The two men didn't speak the entire way to Penelope's apartment complex.

"Hey, she's here," Derek breathed as he slowed down and pulled into the parking lot.

"Has she had those dents awhile?" Rossi asked, already profiling the scene.

"No. They're new." Derek stopped behind Esther and ran out. He fished a glove from his pocket and opened the driver's side door with it while Rossi knelt down behind the car and studied the fender. He saw flecks of white paint on the ground and smudges of white in the dents. "Find anything, Morgan?" he called. "Derek?" He stood up when the younger man didn't answer. He walked over to Derek, who was sitting in the driver's seat.

"Her purse and keys are still here." Derek looked up at the senior agent in anguish. "They took her, man. They took her."

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading!**

 **XOXO,**

 **PitaCake**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or the characters. Some "guest stars" are based on or named after people in my life while others are totally made up, as are some places and events.**

* * *

Chapter 19

Penelope opened her eyes. She groaned when the pain from her head became too much and closed her eyes again. She took a few deep breaths and opened her eyes again, much more slowly, to let her aching head get used to the change. She gasped when she saw only darkness still. She reached for her face and her hand bumped into something hard. She reached up with her other hand and felt around her head. She gasped again when she realized her head was inside a box- a wooden one by the feel of it. She tried to pull the box off her head but it was stuck. She felt around the box again, until her hand came across what felt like a metal hinge. She followed the line of the hinge until she felt a latch. She pulled on the latch but it wouldn't budge. She felt something loose moving against the latch and she moved her hand around to feel it properly. Her heart jumped when she realized it was a chain with a lock attached to it. She ran her hand down the length of the chain until she felt a small metal ring and a lock just like the other one. She felt around the ring and but all she could tell was that it was attached to a cold, concrete wall.

"Hey, let me out!" she cried. She tried to sit up but between the weight of the box and her head injury, her equilibrium was way off and she felt waves of pain course through her head. She laid back down and tried to control her breathing. "Take it off, please!" she screamed. She tried to pull the box off again. She screamed again in frustration when it wouldn't budge. Unwelcome years fell from her eyes. "Derek," she wept. "Help me..." She cried until she couldn't cry anymore.

Penelope was only aware that she had nodded off again when she felt a large, calloused hand touch her foot. She jumped and tried to jerk away but the hand grabbed onto her ankle and held it tight. She stiffened when the hand traveled up her leg. She waited until the hand reached her thigh, thrnkicked out wildly with her other leg, grunting in victory when her foot connected with her captor. She figured her kick was aimed well, for her captor immediately took their hand off her leg. Penelope pulled her knees up to her chest and waited. She couldn't see or hear anything and she was terrified at what might happen the next time her captor cane for her.

"She got you good, didn't she?" Anthony Montgomery gloated a he applied a second strip of tape to his accomplice's nose. It was swollen more than twice its normal size. Montgomery had seen more than his fair share of injuries before and during his time in prison and it was obvious the second he came back and made Malcolm take the bloody wad of tissue off his face that his nose was broken. Montgomery had immediately set it back into place and when the bleeding finally stopped he began to tape it in place. Ford's nose was black and blue and he was already sporting bruising and swelling under his eyes, which Montgomery knew would turn into huge shiners in the next day or so.

"Shut up," Ford groaned. "I was just trying to see if she was all right. She hadn't moved since she woke up the first time."

"Uh-huh. You're a regular bleedin' heart, now?" Montgomery scoffed.

Ford narrowed his eyes and winced as even that action sent pain through his face. "She is no good to us dead, is she?" he grumbled. "Anyway, did you get it done?"

"Of course. The police and FBI are all at her place. No one is watching his," Montgomery sneered. "Do you think he'll come?"

"Of course he'll come. He'll do anything to save her. She's the woman he loves. He never stopped looking for Cindi and she was just his cousin," Ford sneered.

* * *

"I've called everyone." Rossi sat down next to Derek on the apartment building's front steps. "They'll be here soon."

Derek looked up from the ground. He'd been staring at the steps and although he was right years ago when he promised Penelope that the blood -her blood- would wash off, he could still remember what the stains looked like and that image had been engraved into his brain ever since that night.

"She's pregnant." Derek spoke so low that Rossi could barely hear him. "That's what our fight was about. She told me she's pregnant."

Rossi nodded. "And...?"

"And I reacted badly. I more or less implied that she did it on purpose."

"Derek..."

"I made her cry, Rossi! I should've... I should've... She didn't even want to tell me, man! I badgered it out of her and she wasn't ready to tell me! She was trying to process it herself and then..." Derek swallowed the lump in his throat. "She should've been so happy and instead I made her cry."

"Do you even want the child?" Rossi asked.

"Wha..? How could... you... off course I do!" Derek stood up and glared at Rossi as the older profiler looked at him knowingly. A smile flicked across Derek's face as he sat back down. "Of course I want the baby, Rossi. I've loved Penelope ever since I was a kid. I worship the ground she walks on. What gets me through the job is her in my ear and knowing she is always a phone call away. I was going to... Back in New York, I was prepared to stay with the ambulance all the way, but it was her voice in my ear that made me bail out at the last minute. She was my angel growing up. She was what kept me away from the gangs and who kept me sane... She called me her hero, back when we were kids. All I ever wanted was to be the hero she said I was. I can't imagine anyone else having my babies. I don't _want_ anyone else having my babies. I was all set to beg for her forgiveness... Christ, man! She thought I didn't want her...! That I didn't want them! What have I done!?"

"We'll find her, Derek, and you can tell her how you really feel." They both stood up as Hotch and Kate walked up to them, with JJ and Reid pulling up in an SUV behind them. Derek and Dave caught the rest of the team up quickly. Derek felt intrusive telling them team that Penelope was pregnant, even though he knew it was vital to the profile. He felt waves of anger as he thought about how the team -the only family Penelope had- should have been told. She deserved a party, to be pampered and spoiled.

Derek looked at each member of the team in the eye as he described the fight. JJ and Kate were trying to control their tears and Hotch looked as stoic as ever, although Derek knew the Unit Chief was furious. Reid looked determined... and angrier than Derek had ever seen him. He knew how close the two geniuses were, having many of the same interests despite being so different. Penelope was like a sister to him and aside from his mother, she was the most important woman in his life.

The team walked up to Penelope's apartment and confirmed what they had profiled outside: whoever took her did it there, at her car. Her groceries were still in Esther's trunk and so were her keys, purse, tablet, laptop, and phones. The things they all knew she would never leave without. The profilers were all lost in thought; JJ and Derek were sitting on her couch, the others paced aimlessly in the living room and kitchen, while waiting for the CSUs to finish processing the scene downstairs. Hotch had already spoken to Mateo Cruz and the director, both of whom assured him that they had the full force of the FBI ready to back them up.

Derek was swiping through the pictures on his phone. So many were of Penelope: sleeping, smiling, working on her computer, staring out of one of the jet's windows, playing cards with Rossi and Reid, knitting... and of the two of them together: snuggling, hugging, making goofy faces, and kissing. He missed her so much already. He was still looking at pictures when Hotch's phone rang. He listened and looked at all of them before replying: "We'll be there as soon as we can."

"Hotch, what is it?" Reid asked.

Hotch looked right at Derek and swallowed hard. "Metro PD just received a 911 call about the body of a woman matching Penelope's description found in a dumpster near M Street in Georgetown."

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading.**

 **XOXO,**

 **PitaCake**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or the characters. Some "guest stars" are based on or named after people in my life while others are totally made up, as are some places and events.**

 **Disclaimer 2: I base my story ratings loosely on TV ratings. Because of some of the content in this chapter, I decided to change the rating from "T" to "M." I would really like some input, if this actually merits an "M." I am being cautious for now.**

* * *

Chapter 20

The ride to the dump site was silent in both SUVs. Nobody wanted to speak, to voice out loud their greatest fear. Reid and Kate rode in one vehicle with Hotch driving while Derek drove the other with Rossi and JJ.

The agents stopped near the site; Metro PD was expecting them. Derek barely put the SUV in park before he leapt out. He had only made it a few feet when he felt stong arms grab him and hold him back. He tried to fight whoever it was, until he heard Hotch's calm, authoritative voice in his ear. "Stop, Morgan. We're only here to potentially identify the body. We can't get involved in case..."

"Don't. Don't say it, Hotch." Derek stopped struggling and shared a knowing look at his boss.

Hotch nodded. "Do you want someone to go with you?" He knew better than to order him to not go.

Derek hesitated. He looked into each of the profilers' eyes. Each one of them loved Penelope as if she was family and had a right to know one way or another as much as he did. He nodded. "Yes, I want everyone." Hotch nodded and gestured for the others. He felt JJ and Reid come up one either side of him as the group approached the dumpster.

JJ gasped and turned away they saw a sparkly stiletto and the hem of the dress that Penelope wore that day peaking out from under an evidence tarp. Hotch showed his badge to the CSU tech, who nodded and pulled the tarp away from the body. Derek's heart leapt into his throat as he saw the long blonde curls. He felt someone -Rossi- pass him a pair of gloves. He donned them before stepping up onto the ledge. The CSU tech understood Derek's intention when the profiler reached into the dumpster and together they gently turned the body. Derek pushed the hair away from her face and gasped. He hopped backwards off the ledge and walked away, .

"It's not her. It's not Agent Garcia." Hotch explained to the tech. The group walked together to where Derek stood next to the SUV. The profiler looked down at his hands before taking off his gloves. He pulled at them so forcefully the gloves shredded as he ripped them off.

"They did this. They found a woman with hair and a build similar to Penelope's, put her dress and shoes on her and put her here," Derek said.

"Why would they do that?" Kate asked.

"To torture us," Reid answered.

"Not 'us'. Me," Derek argued.

"What?" JJ asked.

"They did this to torture _me_. None of you have a connection to Montgomery. He hates me as much as he hates Penelope. Ford hates me. It was my persistence that caught him and freed Cindi. He thinks I took his woman, so he took mine."

"Ok. There's nothing more we can do here. Metro P.D. already knows this case is top priority. Kevin Lynch will be called in to assist us." Hotch said. He looked over as several CSU techs lifted the body out of the dumpster and into a body bag on a gurney. "Hopefully they'll identify whoever that is quickly and we can find out where she may have run into Montgomery and Ford."

Derek didn't say a word as he drove the SUV back to Quantico. He excused himself as the team passed the bathrooms in the FBI building's lobby. He splashed cold water on his face and let his mind wander. He turned off the water as realization dawned on him. He left the bathroom and walked back out the door. He drove the SUV out of the FBI parking garage just as dawn broke, the sun just barely visible above the horizon before being covered by thick, gray clouds.

* * *

"Conference room, now," Hotch announced to the bullpen as he left his office.

"I'll get Morgan," Kate volunteered. She made her way out of the unit and saw the lights in Derek's office were still off. She knocked and when she received no answer she slowly opened the door. She glanced around and closed the door. She walked down the hall to Garcia's lair and put in the access code. She let herself in but knocked on the second door. She waited a few seconds for a response and when she didn't receive one she slowly opened the door. It was dark so she flicked on the lights. She frowned when she saw he wasn't there either. She pulled out her phone and dialed Derek's number. She left a voicemail and walked back to the unit and into the roundtable room.

"Where's Morgan?" Hotch asked.

"No idea," Kate replied. "He wasn't in his office or Garcia's, and he didn't answer his phone when I called. Has anyone seen him?"

"Nor since we got back here," Rossi replied. The others agreed.

JJ picked up her phone and hit the speed dial, then speaker. She waited but the phone kept ringing until it went to voice mail. "No answer," she sighed as she hung up the phone.

"But it kept ringing..." Reid frowned. JJ nodded. "That means it's still on."

Hotch was out of his seat before Reid finished talking. The others were on his heals. They raced out of the BAU and saw Kevin punching in the code to Penelope's office.

"Kevin, we need you to track Morgan's cell phone now!" Hotch ordered.

"Y... y... yes, sir," the tech stuttered. He opened the door and the profilers filed in after him. He nervously turned on the computers. As soon as the system booted up the program Penelope used to track the BAU members' phones launched itself. She had them on an automatic program so all she had to do was add the logs and link it directly with her other data searches to go with Hotch's final case report to the director. He clicked on the program and saw that six dots were at the center of the map. He expanded the map and saw the seventh dot. He zoomed in on the dot and typed a few keys. He waited a few seconds and an address popped up.

"That's Morgan's house. He's at home." Rossi stated.

"Call me right away if that phone so much as moves!" Hotch barked to Kevin as the team ran out of the office.

* * *

Derek pulled into his driveway and stopped when he saw the arm of his mailbox was up. He got out of the SUV and drew his weapon. He remembered checking the mail before discovering that Penelope was missing and the arm was not up then. He peered inside and saw a phone. He pulled the phone out and checked it over before turning it on.

His own phone started to ring while the new phone started up. He checked and saw that it was Kate calling him. He looked down at the new phone and saw several text messages. He opened the first and his heart clenched. It was a picture of an unconscious Penelope lying on asphalt. He could see Esther's open door in the background. The next was a video. She was wearing a tiny white nightie and had a wooden box over her head. He watched in horror as the camera zoomed in as she stirred awake and tried to gather her bearings. He felt utterly helpless as she screamed and cried for him. He forced himself to flip to the next message:

 *** Call the number in contacts list ***

Derek searched the phone until he found the contacts. Only one number was in it so he clicked it and hit "send." He waited while the phone rang and rang, until a woman's computerized voice explained that the phone's voicemail box hadn't been set up. He angrily hung up the phone and before he could turn around the phone chirped to announce that a new message had been sent. He opened it and read the text as his fear and anger were overwhelming him.

 *** 2406 Denney St. Leave your phone here. Take this one with you. Take your car. No FBI vehicles. No GPS. No friends or your "Baby Girl" dies. Hurry up. The clock is ticking ***

Derek looked around quickly. He typed out a quick text and highlighted four recipients from his contacts before sending it. He put his phone in the mailbox and closed the lid before making his way to his SUV.

* * *

Penelope gasped and swung her arms wildly as she felt someone grasp her shoulders and pull her to a sitting position before forcing her hands behind her back and handcuffing them together. She kicked out and felt someone grip her ankles before wrapping something -tape- around them. The hands released her shoulders and she felt someone hold the box on her head still. She was momentarily blinded as the box was removed from her head. Before she could do more than blink a piece of tape was slammed over her mouth and a cloth was put over her eyes. She was pulled to her feet before being swung over someone's shoulder. She kicked and fought but her captor was strong and his grip tightened the more she struggled. She knew he had carried her outside. The wind was brutal as it blew around. Raindrops hit her bare skin and she shivered from the cold.

Penelope screamed behind the tape as she was dropped onto her rear end on a cold, hard floor. Pain flared up her back and she was immediately afraid for the baby. She was still stunned as she was pushed back against a post and one of her wrists was uncuffed before both wrists were forced over her head, pulled behind the post, then recuffed. She tested her bonds and her heart sank when she realized she was trapped against the post, unable to move.

She heard metal clanging and felt someone slip something over her head. She fought and tried to squirm away but a hand on her throat had her gasping for air.

"Stop fighting or you'll set this off, _Baby Girl_ ," a smarmy voice whispered in her ear. Penelope stilled at the words. "Good girl," the voice praised and petted her head.

She had no idea what "this" was and it wasn't until she felt wires being pulled around her chest that "it" was a bomb. She forced her breathing to slow as she was afraid that the movements would set the bomb off.

"There, it's done," the same smarmy voice sounded gleeful. "I set the timer for an hour. That'll give Morgan enough time to get here but not get her out."

"Do you think he'll show up?" a different voice asked.

"Of course he'll show up. He has no idea what he's walking into. I warned him not to bring more FBI. I wouldn't mind killing the other blonde bitch but I'd rather kill Morgan," the first voice affirmed.

"And we both get our revenge. Mine for little Miss Penelope here..." He removed Penelope's blindfold and replaced it with her glasses. Her eyes widened as he picked up a stand of her hair, put it to his face, and breathed deeply into the curl. She stared at the very same pockmarked face that had invaded her sleep most of her life. Although thinner and more lined, the face of Anthony Montgomery hadn't changed much in the thirty years since Penelope saw him. Tears welled up in her eyes as his other hand traveled to down, down, until he reached her chest. He gripped his hand around her breast. "Remember me?" he whispered in her ear as he released her hair and brought his other hand up to fondle both of her breasts. "I've never forgotten you. I just knew you'd grow up to be beautiful. I wondered every day what you looked like. Your clothes are so pretty. The pro we found didn't look half as good as you in that dress."

Penelope furrowed her brows and looked down at herself. She couldn't stop the tears of shame that fell when she saw that she had been stripped of her clothes and put in a very skimpy white lace nightie and matching panties. Several different colored wires were snaked around her chest and criss-crossed over her neck. She turned her head away when one of Montgomery's hands trailed down the nightie's split bodice to her exposed stomach, than down to her sex.

"C'mon, man. You'll get your revenge soon enough." Penelope looked up at the voice of her other captor and recognized Malcolm Ford instantly. "I want to put as much distance between us and Morgan and that bomb as possible."

"I know," Montgomery sighed as he reluctantly pulled his hands away from Penelope. "I wanted one last feel," he explained. He re-checked the wires and leaned over her side to fiddle with something. Penelope felt the wires move against her skin and guessed the bomb was behind her; she couldn't see it. Montgomery pushed himself back and straightened Penelope's nightie before kissing her on the forehead and cheek.

She watched as the two men ran quickly towards a door, leaving her alone inside the huge building. Although the warehouse was covered to protect its contents against the elements, it provided very little warmth. _Please hurry, my love_ , she prayed over and over again in her head as she started to shake uncontrollably from both the cold and fear.

* * *

Derek pulled his SUV in front of the seemingly deserted warehouse. His gun was out before he left the SUV. There wasn't a car or person in sight. He walked slowly to the door and tried the knob. It opened right away and he slipped inside. He wanted to run forward as soon as he saw his Baby Girl chained to a post in the middle of the room but he hesitated. His heart jumped when he saw the wires wrapped around her. She looked up and her eyes widened. "Are they here?" he asked. She shook her head "no." He ran to her and holstered his gun. He knelt in front of her and gently pulled the tape off her mouth.

"Derek." Penelope burst into tears before she could say another word.

"Shh... shh..." Derek soothed. "I'm here, Baby Girl. Are you all right? Did they hurt you?" He rubbed her arms and frowned at how cold her skin was. He removed his jacket and placed it over her. Penelope continued to sob and couldn't do more than shake her head "no" at Derek's questions. He looked at the wires and saw they trailed down to a cooler set up behind the post. He looked up and saw the post that Penelope and the cooler were chained to was a support beam. Even if the bomb was small it could potentially destroy the beam and bring part of the building down on top of them.

Derek took a deep breath and opened the cooler. He frowned when he saw a basic pipe bomb. He picked up the bomb gently and the wires fell out of the side. "What the hell?" he muttered. He looked up to a sudden noise and reached for his gun. He felt an exploding pain come down over his head as darkness swallowed him up. The last thing he heard was Penelope screaming his name through her tears.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading!**

 **XOXO,**

 **PitaCake**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or the characters. Some "guest stars" are based on or named after people in my life while others are totally m** **ade up, as are some places and events.**

 **Disclaimer 2: Keeping the "M" rating. Some potential triggers here and potentially later. You have been warned.**

* * *

Chapter 21

Penelope heard a thud and the wires tugged against her. "Derek?" she whispered through her tears. She turned and saw one of Derek's hands fall to the ground at the edge of her peripheral vision. The post blocked the rest of her view and from her position all she could see was Derek's hand moving slightly, then going still. "Derek?" she called again, louder this time. "Derek, answer me!"

"He can't answer," Ford said as he came up from behind and towered over her.

"Where did... what did you do to him?" she cried. "Derek, wake up, please! Derek!"

Ford knelt down and slapped Penelope across the face, causing her to cry out. "Shut up, bitch," he snarled as blood trickled out of her split lip.

"Hey!" Montgomery roared as he stepped into view. "What did you do to her?" He shoved Ford away from Penelope. He took a wad of tissue from his pocket and wiped her chin, then held it against her mouth to stop the bleeding.

Ford shrugged and touched his broken nose. "I should do worse for what she did to me, and besides, she needs to learn to keep her mouth shut."

"Keep quiet," Montgomery warned as he unwound the wires from around her, caressing her flesh as he went. "Or we'll kill Derek right here."

Penelope's eyes widened as she watched Ford drag Derek's unconscious body around. He dug around in Derek's pockets, pulling out his wallet, knife, phone, and keys, then removing his gun from the holster on his belt and the gun strapped to his ankle. He dropped the phone on the ground, then smashed it with his shoe. Montgomery tossed him the cooler and picked up the pieces of the broken phone and put them and the rest of Derek's things inside it. Ford closed the cooler and left the building. Montgomery quickly cuffed Derek's hands behind his back, then taped his ankles together. He walked over to Penelope and took a phone out of his pocket. He took several pictures: some close-up, some far, some of her face, and some of her curves. He grinned as he looked through the pictures. His smile widened as he once again knelt in front of her. He caressed her hair and then her cheek and was tracing her collarbone when they heard a vehicle with a loud muffler. He pouted and sighed with dramatic regret and stood back up. "Later, honey," he whispered with barely-contained lust.

Ford came back in and together the fugitives lifted Derek and, carrying him in between them, left. Montgomery returned moments later and released Penelope from the post before recuffing her hands behind her back. He pulled her to her feet and quickly swung her up and over his shoulder. Penelope grunted in pain as she was jolted around harshly. She whimpered as she felt Montgomery's hands once again roam her body.

Penelope shivered as the child outside air assaulted her. She was carried to a large van and shoved roughly into the back. The inside of the van was warm and a soft blanket covered the floor. Derek was still unconscious and laying on his stomach . Penelope jumped as the back doors were slammed shut. She moved herself inch by inch until she was laying next to her love. She willed and prayed for him to wake up and soon.

* * *

"Hotchner," Hotch barked into the receiver. He had literally just put the SUV in park in front of Derek's house when his phone rang.

"Agent Hotchner, sir... I found something way weird. Penelope's phones were finally delivered a few minutes ago and she received from an unknown number," Kevin announced.

"O...K..." Hotch replied, confused. "What's your point?"

"Sir, the same number sent the same message to all four phones at the same time."

"Do you know who sent them?"

"Yes, Sir. Agent Morgan sent them."

"What do they say? Never mind, forward the message to me."

Hotch hung up and walked quickly to where the rest of the team stood on the front porch. JJ was swiping furiously on a phone- Morgan's phone. Reid quickly explained where they found it and Hotch relayed what Kevin told him and read the forwarded text out loud:

 *** 2406 Denney St. Leave your phone here. Take this one with you. Take your car. No FBI vehicles. No GPS. No friends or your "Baby Girl" dies. Hurry up. The clock is ticking. ***

"Let's go." Hotch ordered.

* * *

Pain flared through Derek's head as he struggled to open his eyes. He groaned and closed his eyes again.

"Oh, my God... Derek, are you awake?" a soft, familiar voice whispered. "Are you OK?"

 _Penelope!_ Derek's eyes flew open again and he ignored the pain as he turned his head towards her voice. His eyes focused and he saw her face was inches from his. "Yeah, I'm OK, Baby Girl," he whispered back. He quickly took stock of their situation. He was laying on his stomach and his hands were trapped behind his back. He tested the bonds and felt the metal of handcuffs digging into his wrists. He tested his feet and realized they were tied tightly together at the ankle. The surface he was on was hard although a soft blanket provided a thin barrier between him and the ground. He felt the vibrations of tires rolling on smooth pavement and knew they were in a vehicle.

He forced himself to turn on his side to look at Penelope properly. Rage boiled within him when he saw the dried blood on her chin and the cut on her lip. "Did one of them hit you?" he asked. Tears welled up in her eyes as she turned to her back and nodded.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "This is all my fault."

"No, Baby Girl," he soothed. "You did nothing wrong." He drew himself up higher. She was still wearing the revealing nightie, and although the vehicle was quite warm, she shook. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"

Penelope closed her eyes and tears oozed out of them. She remembered how Montgomery's hands roamed her curves again as he removed all the wires from around her before finally freeing her from the post. She could still feel his hands all over her as he had cuffed her hands behind her back and carried her to the back of a van. "No," she finally answered. "They haven't hurt me."

Derek knew she was withholding something but didn't press her. He tried his best to keep her calm and asked her to go over everything that happened. Penelope calmed down a little as she focused on everything she could remember. She was surprised she remembered as much as she did.

"They got me outside my building. I had just gotten some groceries. I was just turning into the parking lot and was rear-ended. I didn't have time to do anything before I was pulled from Esther and thrown to the ground. Then something hit my head and I passed out." She shuddered. "When I woke up there was a wooden box stuck on my head. It was locked on and chained to a wall. Then someone touched me. I managed to kick him. I couldn't see or hear anything but somehow I managed to kick him. I was Ford. I broke his nose."

"Good job, Baby," Derek praised.

"Later, they both grabbed me at the same time. I fought them but they still tied my ankles and cuffed me. They blindfolded and gagged me and took me outside. It wasn't a far walk at all. They cuffed me to that post and I... I... thought it was a real bomb. They kept me blindfolded and didn't take it off until they were done. I thought they left. I watched them leave... before you came."

"It's OK, Sweetheart. They probably snuck in behind you and hid. You couldn't see what was happening behind you."

Penelope shrugged as best as she could considering getting her hands were restrained behind her back.

Derek looked up to the cab area of the van. He had no idea if Montgomery and Ford could hear him but he needed to act quickly. He brought himself closer to Penelope and whispered in her ear. "Did they take my things?"

"Yes," Penelope whispered back. "Your guns, wallet, knife, and phone."

"Did they destroy the phone?" Derek continued.

"Yes. Ford smashed it, then took all the pieces and your other stuff while Montgomery cuffed you. They carried you to the van, then came back for me."

"Penelope, I need your help. The team knows where I was going. No time to explain, just trust me. I took the GPS chip from the phone the kidnappers left for me and put it in my right shoe. I think I can get my shoe off but I need you to get the chip, hide it, and then help me put my shoe back on."

"I'll do the best I can."

Derek took a deep breath, shoved himself into a sitting position, then rose to his knees. He pushed his foot against the floor until his shoe off and Penelope saw the chip fall out, then turned herself away from him. She felt around with her cuffed hands for a few seconds before finding the chip. She grabbed it and pushed it into her palm. She held it tightly in her left hand then used her right hand and, listening to Derek's instructions, pushed his shoe and held it in place. She watched as he slowly worked his foot back in.

Derek gritted his teeth and ignored the pain in his head. He exhaled loudly as his foot finally slipped back into the shoe. He quickly flipped himself back to his original position and scooted as close to Penelope as he could while she turned back to face him. He managed to tuck her head under his chin and kissed he top of her head. "Good job, Mama. We did it." He felt Penelope nod and try to move even closer to him.

"What should I do with the chip?" she whispered.

"Hang onto it as long as you can," he replied. "Drop it if you think they'll see it."

"Do you want to hang onto it?"

"No, you keep it. They will suspect me more than you." He felt her nod against him.

"Derek, I'm so scared," she confessed. Her voice cracked and he felt her trembling.

"Me, too."

"Derek..."

"Shh... It's going to be all right. Baby Girl, no matter what happens, I want you to know..." Derek stopped and tensed up when van suddenly lurched to a stop. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Penelope flinched as the van's back doors opened. She looked helplessly at Derek as he was pulled outside by the ankles. A few seconds later she sent herself being dragged out the same way.

Montgomery set Penelope up on her feet and whipped her around. He wrapped his forearm around her neck and stroked her hair.

"Don't touch her, you sick son of a bitch!" Derek yelled.

"Don't do anything stupid, Morgan. You don't want to make your girl here will suffer for it, do ya?" Ford stated as Montgomery bent down to cut the tape off her ankles and gripped her hair.

"Walk," Ford pushed Derek away from the van. Derek looked over and watched as they passed Penelope and Montgomery. Derek watched it off the corner of his eye. Montgomery held Penelope a few paces behind and off to the right.

"Stop." Ford ordered. He uncuffed Derek and forced him to turn around. He drew a gun from his pocket. "Don't try anything," he warned. He walked over to where Montgomery was standing with Penelope in front of him. Ford traced the barrel of the gun over her exposed belly. "or Baby Morgan here will be the first to die, then we'll all just sit here and watch pretty Penelope bleed out."

"I swear to God, if you hurt them..." Derek roared.

"You'll what?" Ford crowed as brought the gun up and carelessly doodled the barrel across her breasts before continuing up to caress her face with it. "Damn, Morgan... you sure know how to pick 'em! She is a beautiful woman, and smart as hell from what I've heard. I bet she's like a wildcat in the sack!"

"Dammit, leave her alone!" Derek snarled.

"Leave her alone? Why would we do that? She's so much fun to play with!" Ford traced the barrel of the gun along Penelope's lips. He laughed when Penelope whimpered in fear and walked back to Derek. He prodded Derek on the chest with it. "Turn around and walk to that hole," he ordered, using the gun to gesture the direction. Derek closed in his eyes for a second trying to think of a way to get both of them out, but was almost immediately drawn back by Penelope whimpering in pain. Montgomery had dragged her closer, keeping one arm wrapped around her neck and the other holding a gun to her head. The wind picked up and Penelope started to shake from the cold.

Derek walked to the edge of a large hole and peered inside. It was pitch dark and looked bottomless, like an abyss. "Turn around and say goodbye to your woman, Morgan, then turn back around," Ford whispered in his ear. Derek clenched his fists but turned around. His heart broke at his beloved's agonized expression and tear-streaked face.

"I love you, Baby Girl," he strangled out. "I always have." He closed his eyes and prayed for strength when she whimpered his name.

"Say goodbye, Penelope," Montgomery whispered in her ear.

"Derek..."

"It's OK, Baby Girl." Derek closed his eyes and turned to face the hole. Ford put the gun to the back of his head.

"DEREK!" she screamed as she saw Ford pull the trigger. BANG! She gasped and flinched as the gun fired. "DEREK!" she screamed again as she watched him fall over the edge of the abyss.

* * *

 **A/N: Don't forget, the Profiler's Choice Awards are taking place. Please submit your nominations before December 31, 2016. In case I don't see y'all before, have a very merry and blessed Christmas.**

 **XOXO,**

 **PitaCake**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or the characters. Some "guest stars" are based on or named after people in my life while others are tota** **lly made up, as are some places and events.**

* * *

Chapter 22

"DEREK!" Penelope screamed, over and over. She couldn't get the image of Derek falling over the edge of the hole out of her head.

"Shut her up, will you?" Ford snarled as he peered over the edge of the hole. Montgomery tightened his arm around her neck and put his hand over her mouth, rendering her silent.

Ford sauntered back over to where Montgomery stood with Penelope. He sneered down at her with barely contained glee and put the gun in his pocket. "Your boyfriend's dead, Princess."

Penelope screamed and wrestled her face away from Montgomery's hand. "You won't get away with this!" she cried.

"He won't be found for days, maybe longer. By that time we'll be long gone. Besides, that hole is at least fifty feet deep. Even if I didn't shoot him, the fall would've killed him," Ford gloated.

"No," she whispered hoarsely. Her knees collapsed and Montgomery grunted as he held her up. She gasped when he picked her up and carried her bridal-style and walked back to the van.

"Is it true, is the girl pregnant?" Montgomery asked Ford over his shoulder.

"Ask her yourself," Ford smiled evilly.

Montgomery looked down at Penelope. "Are you? he asked. Penelope bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't answer.

"I saw a pregnancy test that said 'pregnant' when I went through her bag," Ford elaborated. "That look on Morgan's face was priceless. Everyone will want a pretty female Fed. Wait until we tell the potential buyers that she's pregnant! We'll get enough to disappear forever and then some."

Montgomery stopped and set Penelope down on her feet. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look into his eyes. "I'm going to ask you one more time. Don't even think about lying. It will be easy enough to find out the truth. Are. You. Pregnant?"

Tears welled up in Penelope's eyes and she nodded. "Yes, I'm pregnant," she whispered. "I just found out."

"Is it Derek's?"

"Yes."

Montgomery gazed into her eyes and nodded. Penelope jerked her face away when he lessened the pressure on her chin. She took a step back but Montgomery grabbed her before she could move further away. He wrapped his arm around her neck again and put his hand over her mouth. "Don't even try to get away," he warned. "It won't work and it'll be better for you if you don't." He forced her to walk with him the rest of the way to the van.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Montgomery called over his shoulder.

Ford shrugged. "Not important."

"Not important!?" Montgomery raised his voice. "I wouldn't..."

"You what? Wouldn't have molested her?" Ford mocked. "Wouldn't have spent so long at that store trying to find the perfect little outfit for her? Wouldn't have spent all that time undressing her?"

"No, you idiot!" Montgomery yelled. He flinched at his own volume. "Don't you remember anything about your woman being pregnant?" he asked, much quieter. "A pregnant Fed _would_ bring us enough to disappear but a sick or dead fed won't bring us jack shit!"

"What are you talking about?"

"If she loses that baby she could bleed out! If she loses it and can't pass everything, she'll get an infection and die without help!"

"What the hell are you saying?"

"When my woman was pregnant with my kid, she was high-risk. She was in bed for months so she wouldn't lose the baby. I read up on everything. If she loses the baby, this'll all blow up in our faces."

"Fine, fine... whatever."

"Don't even think about hitting her again," Montgomery warned. "She needs water and food. When we get back to the hideout go get some food. Healthy stuff, fruits and vegetables. Not fast food.

Penelope mumbled something behind her captor's hand. Montgomery pulled his hand away, released her neck and turned her around to face him. "What?" he asked.

"No meat. I don't eat meat," she replied softly.

Ford caught up and leaned in close to her face. "You'll eat whatever we give you," he snarled. He raised and swung his fist and laughed when she flinched and cried out. She stumbled backwards and would have fallen if Montgomery hadn't reached out quickly to steady her.

Montgomery whipped around to face his fellow fugitive. He pushed Penelope behind him and knocked Ford's fist away. "Are you deaf, dumb or just plain stupid!? If that's the way you treated your woman while was pregnant with your kid, how did your son survive?" he roared. He turned back to Penelope and pushed her gently onto the back of the van.

"I wasn't going to hit her," Ford chuckled. "Pregnant or not, she needs to know her place."

"She almost fell!" Montgomery argued.

Ford shrugged carelessly. "And you were right there to catch her. No harm, no foul."

Montgomery gave Ford a scalding look before he walked away. Penelope heard him open the front of the van and rummage around. She turned her attention back to Ford as he walked up to her. She shrank back when he gazed at her lewdly and reached up to grab her throat. He held his hand there, not adding any pressure, and leaned over.

"If you want to live long enough to see your baby born, you won't even think about kicking me again," he whispered. He released her throat and knelt down in front of her. He pulled a roll of duct tape from his pocket and taped her ankles together.

Penelope flinched and Ford chuckled when the van's door slammed. Montgomery came around to the back He had a blanket in his arms, which he set down next to Penelope, and a bottle of water, which he held out to her. Penelope pressed her lips together and shook her head "no."

"It's not spiked or poisoned," Montgomery explained. He unscrewed the bottle cap and took a large gulp. "See?"

Penelope nodded and he held the bottle up to her lips. She drank her fill and pulled her face away when she was done. "Thank you," she whispered. Montgomery looked taken aback for a moment, then nodded.

"This tape better not be too tight," he threatened Ford. He knelt and checked the bindings around her ankles.

Ford rolled his eyes but didn't reply. Instead, he pulled out the roll of tape from his pocket. He ripped off a strip and pressed it over Penelope's mouth. He rubbed his knuckles over her pale cheek before traveling down to her throat. Penelope shivered and looked away as she remembered his earlier threat. Ford grinned at her act of submission. He couldn't wait to get to the hideout. He had been looking forward to breaking Derek Morgan's woman for months. He kind of regretted killing him so soon. He could've forced the Fed to watch his woman bend and eventually break. That would have been equally amusing to see but Ford knew that he couldn't have risked keeping Morgan alive. The man was too good, too smart, and had too many friends. "Come on," he said. "Let's get out of here already. She's not the only one who needs to eat. I'm starving. Once we get to the hideout I'll drop you off then get some food and she can make it. "

"Like hell she will. She's going to rest." The two fugitives continued to argue as Montgomery pushed her further into the van last, covered her with the blanket, and closed the doors.

* * *

Derek jerked when Penelope screamed his name. He felt a searing pain go through his head, then felt himself falling. He crashed hard onto something and then world started spinning. His body hit numerous rocks and debris as he rolled down a hill of dirt until finally stopping. He could hear Penelope screaming his name but the wind had been knocked out of him. As he lay there struggling to breathe, his heart pounded as her voice was suddenly cut off mid-scream. He heard Montgomery and Ford arguing. He couldn't make out what they were saying even when the arguing turned into shouting. He tried to sit up when he heard the van start up but fell back down immediately. His head spun and he closed his eyes as darkness descended on top of him.

* * *

Penelope tried her best to focus on her surroundings. She remained sitting and listened as they drove for what felt like forever on a smooth, paved road. They turned several times before slowing down significantly. They drove on a gravel road. The pebbles bouncing against the undercarriage were deafening, even though the van was driving very slowly. Penelope closed her eyes and willed her migraine to go away. She felt sick and dizzy and lost her balance and fell on her side when the van stopped suddenly. She felt too faint to try and sit up again but she forced herself to stay awake. She focused on the GPS still clutched in her hand. She refused to accept that Derek was dead. He knew the risks and came for her anyway and she believed in her heart that her team of BAU superheroes would find them both.

* * *

Derek woke up and groaned in pain. He could barely move at first but as he concentrated on focusing and slowing his breathing, the pain settled into a steady throb in his head and ribs.

"Baby Girl..." He muttered as he slowly pushed himself to a sitting position. He looked up and saw the clouds breaking up and the first signs of false dawn. He stood on shaky legs and slowly climbed out of the hole. He guessed he rolled fifty feet of so before stopping. He lost his balance as he climbed over the lip of the hole and fell to his knees. He was blinded at the glare of several sets of headlights and felt dizzy again.

"Hey, buddy... You all right?" a deep voice called from the direction of the lights. A few seconds later Derek felt a warm hand on his shoulder. Mercifully the owner of the hand was kneeling between Derek and the lights and the profiler was able to see better. The man was older, bald, with eyes full of concern. The man looked Derek from head to toe, immediately noticing the blood on his head and the way he held his arm against his ribs. It wasn't hard for the man to figure out what had happened.

"Call... 911."

* * *

The BAU and several state and Metro PD units approached the set of warehouses. On constant alert, they drew their weapons and split up. They cleared the area and were despondent when there wasn't a trace of Penelope, Derek, or the fugitives. The officers fanned out to search the area surrounding the warehouse while the BAU stayed and profiled the scene.

"Do you really think they were here?" Kate asked the group.

"I have no doubt," Hotch replied. "Morgan gave us a copy of this address and the text. He wanted us here."

"He's leaving breadcrumbs," Reid suddenly blurted out. "Think about it: he's leaving a clue wherever he goes."

"Do you think he left one here?" JJ asked.

"I'm sure he did," Reid nodded.

A few hours later the team and LEO's were still searching when a breathless officer all but shouted that he had located Morgan's truck. A few minutes later a Statie announced he located Morgan's driver's license next to a dumpster a block away from the warehouse.

"Why would he leave his license?" Rossi wondered out loud. "Why not his creds or..."

"He needed to keep everything on him... his badge, his weapons... if he was caught, they would definitely disarm him, especially if they were threatening Garcia. He needed something that would be instantly recognized as his, to let us know we are on the right track... but something they wouldn't notice was missing? No license? Why does he need one? He has an FBI badge."

Hotch's phone rang and he answered it gruffly. "Hotchner." His fellow teammates looked at him as his eyes softened slightly. "OK, we're on our way."

"What is it, Hotch?" JJ asked.

"Emergency dispatchers just received a call about someone claiming to be Special Agent Derek Morgan found bleeding and injured at a quarry site near Culpeper."

* * *

 **A/N: Merry Christmas!**

 **XOXO,**

 **PitaCake**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or the characters. Some "guest stars" are based on people in my life while others are totally made up, as are some places.**

* * *

Chapter 23

Both SUVs were silent as they made their way to Culpeper. The air was thick with emotion, knowing that one of their friends was injured and no news about the other weighed heavily on their minds. It was full light by the time they arrived at the quarry. Numerous police cars had already arrived, along with an ambulance.

"Morgan! Are you all right?" Hotch was the first to reach him as they all ran up to Derek, who was sitting shirtless in the back of the ambulance. The others surrounded them, anxious to see how their colleague was doing.

"I'm fine. It's just a graze." Derek rose to his feet and growled as an EMT made him sit back down before applying a thick square of gauze to the back of his head. He flinched as the second medic gently probed his abdomen with his hands.

"You are not fine. You may have broken ribs and a concussion," the EMT who was checking his ribs argued.

"I'm fine! Look, Hotch, they took Penelope with them. I don't know where they went but it sounded like they went in that direction." He gestured to the south. "It was a panel van. Dark blue or black. No windows. Had a mount for a ladder on top but no ladder. Wasn't new but the body wasn't in bad shape. Sounded like it had a small exhaust leak. Louder than it should've been but not enough to turn heads."

"Did you see the plate?" Kate asked.

Derek shook his head. "No. It was too dark."

"Was it...?"

"Yeah, Hotch. It was Ford and Montgomery. Montgomery lost weight. Ford looks like he beefed up." He smiled a little as he remembered. "Penelope broke Ford's nose. It was all bandaged up and he had shiners to go with it." He explained everything that happened up to when he fell while the EMT wound his ribs with gauze before taping it tight. Derek grunted as he stood up, ignoring the protests of both medics.

"Do you know about how long you were down there?

"I don't know what time it was. We weren't here long before they left and it was full dark." "I have no idea how long I was unconscious, either time," he added. "But I had Pen keep the GPS chip from phone."

"I'll have Kevin track the GPS," Hotch said as he took out his phone.

Rossi swore when he saw several news vans pull into the quarry. "Great, that's all we need."

Reid's eyes narrowed. "Hey, hello... why don't you share with the rest of the class," JJ said when he remained silent. They all knew the gears were cranking inside the genius's mind.

"Guys, I have an idea." Reid clenched his jaw and looked over at the reporters.

* * *

Penelope jumped and dropped the chip when the van doors were flung open. She managed to grab it back just before she was once again dragged out by the ankles. She felt dizzy and didn't realize she had tipped sideways again until she felt herself being forced back upright. She felt bile rise up and she choked and looked up pleadingly at her captors. Montgomery swore and lifted her out, then ripped the tape mouth. She turned away and dropped to her knees. The world was spinning and she felt her hair being pulled back as she retched over and over, gasping as her stomach continued to spasm despite having nothing in it. The pounding in her head had eased slightly, although it still throbbed painfully. She breathed heavily as her stomach finally settled. She felt someone tugging her back up to standing, although with her feet still bound and still trying to recover from being sick, she swayed due to her non-existent sense of balance. She still felt faint as Montgomery picked her up and carried her bridal-style into what looked like an abandoned house. It was pitch dark and she could hear the wind blowing through the trees.

The house was surprisingly warm as soon as they walked in. Montgomery turned on a couple of lights as he carried her to the back of the house. He turned on another light and Penelope frowned when she saw the room. It was plain but clean. The bed was full-sized with a pretty comforter and pillows and there was a chair in one corner and a TV was set up on top of a dresser. The room had two windows but both were completely boarded up although curtains that matched the comforter softened the look of the rough wooden planks. She didn't move when Montgomery set her down on the bed, then knelt down and cut the tape off her ankles."Don't even think about moving," he ordered before leaving the room. Penelope waited a second after he left before rising. She dropped the chip on the floor and nudged it as far under the bed as she could with her bare foot. She sat back down when she heard footsteps returning.

"If I uncuff you, don't even think about hitting me or trying to run away. If you do, I'll cuff you again," Montgomery threatened. Penelope nodded and the fugitive turned her around. She tried not to gag when he moved her hair over one shoulder and kissed her neck. She could not stop the involuntary shiver of disgust that coursed through her as his hands rubbed her arms before freeing her wrists from the cuffs. He tossed the cuffs on the nightstand and turned her back around to face him. "I've been dreaming of this for thirty years," he murmured as he picked up her hands and rubbed his face on them. "I can't wait to feel you under me."

Penelope snatched her hands away. "I'm surprised you didn't while I was knocked out," she hissed, then flinched, expecting to be struck.

Montgomery laughed. "Still as feisty as I remember! I love it. I'm going to have so much fun with you! And for the record, necrophilia is not my thing. When I make love to a woman, I want her awake and aware enough to remember every second." He sighed dramatically. "But I'm afraid you'll have to wait. I don't trust that idiot to get the right stuff at the store." He pushed her gently to sit on the bed, then sat down next to her. He ignored her when she scooted back against the headboard and pulled a memo pad from his pocket. "You said you don't eat meat. What _do_ you eat? Anything that makes you feel sick? Allergies?"

Penelope narrowed her eyes. "Why do you care?" she asked. "Why don't you kill me? You already killed Derek."

Montgomery raised his eyebrows. "My dear Penny, you are much more valuable to me alive than dead, especially now." His gaze traveled down to her belly.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see. It'll be fun getting you ready."

"Ready?" she gulped.

"Yep. Now, what do you like?"

Penelope thought for a minute. She needed to take care of herself and the baby, since Montgomery had no plans to kill her. "I like eggs a lot, with jalapenos and red peppers and fresh spinach and cheese, with buttered toast. Pasta and alfredo and tomato sauce. Pizza with no meat. No coffee or onions, both make me nauseous. Fruit: I like bananas and strawberries and kiwi and oranges the best. Carrots and celery with peanut butter and ranch. Yogurt, any kind. Ice cream. Cookies and cream, rocky road, and Ben and Jerry's brownie batter core are my favorites. I'm not allergic to anything."

"And what to drink?"

"Water. Apple juice and milk, chocolate and plain."

"OK." He got up leave.

"Wait!" Penelope called as he opened the door

"What is it?"

"Umm... can I... I need to use the facilities." She squirmed as she held her bladder.

"Oh, right. I forgot. C'mon."

Penelope slowly crawled out of the bed and walked to the door. She slipped out and tried not to flinch as Montgomery touched her hip and guided her down the hall. He turned on a light and pushed her inside. "You have three minutes," he announced and closed the door behind her. She quickly finished her business and was shaking her hands dry after washing them and rinsing her mouth out. She went to the door and frowned when the knob wouldn't turn. She jumped back when the door flung open.

"Done yet?" Ford snapped. Penelope scooted away, not expecting the other man to be there. She nodded.

"Let's go. Don't try anything stupid," he warned. Penelope rolled her eyes and Ford narrowed his. "Don't think I won't show you your place, bitch," he hissed. Penelope smirked and walked out, tugged her arm out of Ford's grip as he marched her down. He swore and grabbed her again, much harder. She cried out as his fingers dug into her flesh.

"What the hell are you doing, Malcolm?" Montgomery roared as he popped out of the bedroom. He pushed Ford away and pulled Penelope behind him. Ford sent her a scathing look before stomping away.

Montgomery guided her back to her room and closed and locked her inside. Penelope sighed and looked all over. The windows were completely closed off and there were no cracks between the boards that she could see. She decided to wait a few hours, after the sun rose, to see if she could see outside. The dresser was full of clothes, mainly revealing dresses and lingerie. The nightstand drawer was locked and the TV wouldn't turn on. She saw it was unplugged and figured an outlet was behind the dresser. She didn't want to risk trying to move it. The dresser looked solid and the TV was a big, heavy, old-fashioned cathode-ray tube model. Penelope sat dejected on the bed and curled up in a ball. She tried to stay strong but couldn't stop the tears from flowing as she rubbed her belly.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading and for your endless patience. See the a/n at the end my first story's (Past, Present, Future) update if you want to know why I have been absent so long.**

 **Xoxo,**

 **PitaCake**


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